Stay in the loop on industry and casting news with our write-up on who’s been slated for recent film and television roles!
Please note that shoot dates are subject to state and county restrictions and may change. Refer to Call Sheet for updates, and keep checking Backstage for the latest news on project development during this time.
“Tick, Tick…Boom!”
Andrew Garfield is set to combine his screen and stage sensibilities in a movie musical helmed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The actor will star in Netflix’s stage-to-screen adaptation of the late Jonathan Larson’s “Tick, Tick…Boom!” The “Rent” composer’s autobiographical musical follows Larson as he struggles with an existential and professional crisis on the eve of his 30th birthday. Though Larson performed the piece as a one-man show in 1990, it was reimagined as a three-actor stage show Off-Broadway in 2001. Garfield will take on the role of Larson alongside a cast that includes Vanessa Hudgens, Judith Light, Bradley Whitford, Joshua Henry, Alexandra Shipp, and Robin de Jesus. The film, cast by Telsey + Company, marks another milestone for the multihyphenate Miranda, who will make his directorial debut on the project. Production began recently in New York City.
“Wash Me in the River”
Colson “Machine Gun Kelly” Baker is out as the lead in the new Randall Emmett project, “Wash Me in the River,” with Taylor Kitsch moving into the role. The film will follow a recovering opioid addict who is on a mission to kill the dealers responsible for the death of his fiancee. Working alongside Kitsch in the Sheila Jaffe–cast project are Robert De Niro and John Malkovich. The production, which will follow Emmett’s first outing as a director after shooting “Midnight in the Switchgrass,” is eyeing Nov. 9 as a potential start date for shooting, which will take place in Atlanta and Puerto Rico.
“Meaty”
Alongside Abbi Jacobson of “Broad City” fame and Jessi Klein of “Inside Amy Schumer,” Samantha Irby is developing a series based on her 2013 essay collection “Meaty.” The comedy will follow a young Black woman in America as she grapples with her identity and sexuality, as well as a recent Crohn’s disease diagnosis. While the pilot is still in early development, Felicia Fasano Casting has been brought on board to sift through actors. Production is aiming to start in spring or summer of 2021.
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This story originally appeared in the Nov. 5 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.