Stay in the loop on industry and casting news with our write-up on who’s been slated for recent film and television roles!
“Rent”
Fox has 525,600 reasons to take on another live musical: the success of “Grease Live!” and its Easter-themed musical “The Passion” has caused the network to eye potential follow-ups. “Rent” follows a group of bohemian New Yorkers living in Alphabet City and working to enact social and political change at the turn of the 1990s. Riddled with the realities of drugs, HIV and AIDS, homelessness, and love, the show earned four Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for drama. The lauded production drew the attention of Hollywood and, in 2005, became a movie musical with much of the original Broadway cast. Fox, however, is unlikely to call up any of those cast members—Idina Menzel, Tracie Thoms, Jesse L. Martin, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Rapp, or Adam Pascal—for its live rendition. Famed Broadway casting house Telsey + Company is stepping in to find a new ensemble of actors to portray the ragtag group of friends. The live production is scheduled to take place on Jan. 27, 2019, with rehearsals likely happening during the preceding months. No director is currently attached to the project, which is expected to follow in the footsteps of “Grease Live!” and shoot on a lot in Los Angeles.
“The Dolly Parton Project”
Netflix is grabbing its boots and heading to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, for a little soiree with the music of Dolly Parton. The entertainer, who is no stranger to the camera, is about to take another dive into the scripted world. With songs that read more like novel-length fiction than line-dancing melodies, Netflix is gearing up to create visual stories using Parton’s songs. There’s no word on which songs will get the cinematic treatment, but Parton herself will make a point to star in each episode. No other actors have currently been announced on the series cast by Patrick Rush, but it’s likely a rotating group of actors will fill each episode. Production on the project is slated to begin in September. Atlanta is expected to serve as home for the series.
“17 Bridges”
Wakanda will have to wait for the return of Chadwick Boseman. The actor will next star in “17 Bridges” as an NYPD officer known for taking out cop-killing bad guys. However, his renegade ways start to play on his moral compass when he finds out his mission to “save the city the cost of a trial” is also covering up a massive web of police corruption. The project, cast by Avy Kaufman, currently only has Boseman on the roster, who is also attached as a producer. Production is set to begin in mid- to late September and film in Philadelphia and New York City.
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