Welcome to Rumorville! Here you can learn about casting news that’s about to break in Hollywood. These speculations might be only rumors, but that doesn’t mean you can’t follow the trail all the way to the audition room.
“Star Wars” Lando Series
Two Landos are better than one, it seems. As the “Star Wars” small screen universe continues to expand with recent additions like the hit “Mandalorian” and the recently greenlit “Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” another potential series is in the news. According to the team at the Kessel Run Radio podcast (who were first to report the now-confirmed news about “The Bad Batch”), a series centered on Lando Calrissian is in the works from Disney and Lucasfilm with Donald Glover set to return to play the younger version of the character. But Lucasfilms is also reportedly interested in building a show around Billy Dee Williams as the older (and most well-known) Lando with Naomi Ackie reprising her role as Jannah. You might recall (spoilers ahead) the end of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” left them together to set out on new adventures in the Millennium Falcon. So, could this be a best-of-both-worlds situation where we get Williams in present-day and Glover in flashbacks? Looks like we will just have to wait and see. In the meantime, watch Marvel and “Star Wars” television casting director Sarah Finn for future adventures.
“Empire” Spin-Off
Taraji P. Henson is building an empire all her own. The multihyphenate recently signed a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox Television, and her first major project will be the development of an “Empire” spinoff. The long-rumored new project will center around the series’ iconic matriarch Cookie (played by Henson). “Empire” co-creator Danny Strong will write and executive produce with Stacy A. Littlejohn and Yolonda Lawrence with “Empire” veteran Sanaa Hamri set to direct. If the show goes to pilot, that group will also serve as co-showrunners. The spinoff will be set in Los Angeles, so when filming starts to ramp back up, keep an eye on what is happening around “Empire” casting directors Leah Daniels Butler and Claire Simon.
“Rodham”
We know what happened, but Hulu is working on what could have happened. The streamer has put into development the alt-history drama series “Rodham.” Based on the book by Curtis Sittenfeld, “Rodham” imagines an alternate history where Hillary Rodham never marries Bill Clinton and asks what could have happened to her life and her career. “The Affair” co-creator and showrunner Sarah Treem will write the adaptation, marking her first major project with her recent deal at Fox 21. This is also the second project Treem is currently executive producing with Warren Littlefield and his Littlefield Company banner (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Fargo”) after the recently greenlit Apple TV+ and Showtime limited series about Hedy Lamarr.
“Brainbox”
First reported by Deadline, Hulu and Fox 21 Television Studios are reportedly developing the sci-fi series “Brainbox.” Based on the short story by Christian Cantrell, the story takes place after “a climate engineering experiment fails and casts the planet into a sudden ice age, forcing the world’s most powerful nations to compete for the last remaining habitable regions along the equator.” Dave Kajganich (“The Terror,” “Suspiria”) is attached as the series showrunner with EP Warren Littlefield as an executive producer via his Littlefield Company banner. Other than “Brainbox,” Kajganich is the only other television credit to his name, where he worked with casting directors Kate Rhodes James and Carrie Audino and Laurie Schiff.
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