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.
“The Wonder Years”
ABC has ordered a pilot for a reboot of its beloved series “The Wonder Years,” which premiered in 1988 and chronicled the lives of a white, suburban family living through the changing times of America in the late 1960s and early ’70s. The revival, spearheaded by Saladin K. Patterson, Lee Daniels, and original star Fred Savage, is diving back into that tumultuous decade, this time centering on a middle-class Black family living in Montgomery, Alabama, in the late days of the civil rights movement. While the project is still in the early stages of production, bicoastal casting has begun with Leah Daniels-Butler in Los Angeles and Billy Hopkins in New York. No location or shoot dates have been announced.
Kelsey Grammer–Alec Baldwin Project
Former “Frasier” and “30 Rock” writers are joining forces to pen an ABC series that’s bringing together the respective stars of those sitcoms, Kelsey Grammer and Alec Baldwin. The two actors are set to executive produce alongside co-creators Christopher Lloyd (“Frasier”) and Vali Chandrasekaran (“30 Rock”) as well as feature in the currently untitled project. The multicamera sitcom will follow three former roommates who reunite decades after their raging egos sent them on different paths. With new perspectives on life and more years behind them, they set out to live the lives they longed for in their 20s. The third role in the leading trio has yet to be filled, but casting is ongoing with Juel Bestrop. The comedy is scheduled to start shooting in late February in Los Angeles and is slated to premiere during the 2021–22 television season.
“Firestarter”
Stephen King will see another of his page turners adapted for the screen with a new version of “Firestarter,” which was last turned into a film in 1984. The sci-fi–horror story follows a young girl who develops mysterious pyrokinetic abilities after her parents undergo an experiment. When her powerful mind gains the attention of the wrong people, she is abducted by a secret government entity set on weaponizing her unusual gift. Currently, Zac Efron is the only actor attached to the Terri Taylor–cast adaptation. The project will start shooting in May 2021 under the direction of Keith Thomas, nearly a year after its initial production date of May 2020. Toronto will host the shoot.
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This story originally appeared in the Dec. 17 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.
