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.
“True Blood”
“True Blood” fans may soon see the show return—on stage! At a 10th anniversary screening at Vulture Festival of the show’s premiere episode, series creator Alan Ball discussed a rumored musical version of the show. Created by Nathan Barr, the project was first announced in 2014 and is currently being workshopped. Ball told the audience it’s so far “pretty good,” but he didn’t give any indication of whether he’s involved in it in any way. Barr previously scored all seven season of the show, so he’s as close to the show as anybody has been. The first workshop was back in 2016, directed by Pam MacKinnon with a book and lyrics by Elizabeth Scott. For a musical version, it is likely Ball would go with Broadway CDs rather than those he worked with for the screen series.
“The Saint”
As Paramount Pictures prepares to relaunch its action franchise “The Saint,” it looks like the studio has a big star lined up. According to Deadline, Chris Pratt is currently in early talks to lead, with the hope that Paramount can build the franchise around the star. Originally a 1940s serial led by Roger Moore and developed into a Paramount movie in 1997 starring Val Kilmer, the franchise stars Simon Templar, a wealthy adventurer who helps the powerless, often using methods that skirt or are outside the law. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is on board to produce the film, but at this point, there has been no other news about the upcoming project, including who will be attaching the rest of the talent.
“The Sopranos” Prequel
Fade in from black, “The Sopranos” is back—sort of. According to Variety’s sources, “Weightless” star Alessandro Nivola is in negotiations to star in the forthcoming “The Many Saints of Newark,” the prequel film to the long-running hit series “The Sopranos.” If cast, Nivola would play Dickey Moltisanti, the uncle of Tony Soprano (played by the late James Gandolfini in the original series) and will be the first star officially cast in the film, though many of the original series’ stars are expected to return. Alan Taylor is directing from a script that series creator David Chase wrote with Lawrence Konner. Plot details are vague at this point, but it will be set during the Newark riots of the 1960s. Douglas Aibel is casting the flick, which will likely film in the New York City area.
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