Greenlit means a project is officially a go, so all you have to do is follow these leads to stay up to date. You never know where you’ll find an opportunity to land an audition!
Marvel Cinematic Universe
No one had a busier week—and, specifically, weekend—than Marvel. At San Diego Comic-Con, the studio laid out all their post-“Avengers: Endgame” plans and there were a lot of them. After months of rumors about “The Eternals,” it was confirmed Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and others are officially in the cast. In 2021’s “Thor Love and Thunder,” Natalie Portman will play a Female Thor, with Taika Waititi directing. Mahershala Ali will play the title role in a reboot of “Blade,” and Simu Liu will play the title role in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” Between the Cinematic Universe and Disney’s TV platform Disney+, the list goes on and on. And with Marvel this busy, casting director Sarah Finn will have a lot of roles to fill— be sure to keep an eye on her door as production ramps up.
“Little Shop of Horrors”
Head back down to Skid Row this fall. On Monday morning, it was announced that the dark musical comedy “Little Shop of Horrors” will return to New York City for its first major Off-Broadway revival since its 1982 opening. The new production, which will be performed at the Westside Theatre, will star Jonathan Groff as Seymour, Tammy Blanchard as Audrey, and Christian Borle as Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. Previews are slated to begin on Sept. 17 with an opening night set for Oct. 17. Tony winner Michael Mayer will direct. Further casting will be announced at a later date.
“Gossip Girl”
With WarnerMedia preparing to launch its streaming service HBO Max, “Gossip Girl” is signing back on. The company has ordered 10 hourlong episodes of a reimagined version of the pop culture phenomenon that originally starred Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgely, and more. Joshua Safran, the original series writer, will return for the new series, which will take place after the original website went dark with a new generation of New York private school teens introduced to Gossip Girl. Casting has yet to be announced, but the original series was cast by David Rapaport and Bowling/Miscia so they could return or the show could go in a different direction.
“Notes From a Young Black Chef”
Kwame Onwuachi’s hit memoir “Notes From a Young Black Chef” will soon get a film adaptation starring Lakeith Stanfield. A24 is financing the film, which follows Onwuachi on his journey from childhood in the Bronx to opening a fine-dining restaurant in Washington, D.C. at the age of 26. Stanfield most notably starred in last year’s “Sorry to Bother You” and will also star in the upcoming thriller “Knives Out.” Randy McKinnon will adapt the script, but no director is attached yet.
“Space Jam 2”
As the Jam heats back up, a new director has taken the helm. Malcolm D. Lee will take over the directing duties from Terence Nance on the highly-anticipated “Space Jam 2,” starring LeBron James. This comes on the heels of the recent casting announcement that Don Cheadle will be joining the film. According to Deadline, Nance’s departure from the project was amicable but came as a result of a difference of creative opinion between the filmmaker and the studio. Lee has most recently helmed “Girls Trip,” starring Tiffany Hadish. “Space Jam 2” is scheduled to open on July 15, 2021. Kim Coleman is in charge of casting.