Fox has made its first new 2021-2022 primetime drama series order with Our Kind of People, inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s bestselling novel released in 1999. The series comes from two-time Oscar nominee Lee Daniels (Precious) and Karen Gist, and will be a Fox Entertainment and 20th Television co-production.
The series order comes following writer/executive producer Gist (Star, Mixed-ish, Grey’s Anatomy) and executive producer Daniels’ writers room commitment which they received from the network back in September 2021. Marc Velez, Pam Williams, Claire Brown, Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Rodney Ferrell, and Montrel McKay are on board as executive producers.
“Our Kind of People is a soapy, thrilling exploration of race and class in America and an unapologetic celebration of black resilience and achievement – all daringly told by a team we’ve been eager to get back in business with,” stated Michael Thorn, President of Entertainment, for FOX Entertainment. “There are no better storytellers than Karin Gist and Lee Daniels to bring Lawrence Otis Graham’s seminal work to life.”
Fox released the following description of the dramatic series:
“The series takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful black elite have come to play for over 50 years. Our Kind of People follows strong-willed, single mom Angela Vaughn as she sets out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary haircare line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of black women. But she soon discovers a dark secret about her mother’s past that will turn her world upside-down and shake up this community forever.”
Poster for the Amazon Studios film ‘Being the Ricardos’
Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos starring Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (Best Actress, The Hours) and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (Best Supporting Actor, No Country for Old Men) has begun shooting in Los Angeles. Kidman stars as Lucille Ball and Bardem is playing Desi Arnaz in the Amazon Studios and Escape Artists drama focusing on the couple’s marriage and their iconic television series, I Love Lucy.
Joining Kidman and Bardem in bringing the couple’s love story to life are Oscar winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) as I Love Lucy‘s William Frawley and Nina Arianda (Stan & Ollie) as Vivian Vance. Two-time Emmy winner Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development) will play I Love Lucy executive producer and head writer Jess Oppenheimer. Alia Shawkat (Search Party, Arrested Development) and Jake Lacy (Fosse/Verdon, The Office) are on board to co-star as I Love Lucy writing partners, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll Jr.
The cast will also include Clark Gregg (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Nelson Franklin (Veep), John Rubinstein (Family), Linda Lavin (The Good Wife), Robert Pine (CHiPs), and Christopher Denham (Billions).
“Being the Ricardos is a drama about the people behind the making of television’s most famous comedy. I’m looking forward to working with Nicole, Javier, J.K., Nina, and the rest of our great cast,” stated writer-director Aaron Sorkin.
Being the Ricardos marks Aaron Sorkin’s third film as director. His second, The Trial of the Chicago 7, has been nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Sacha Baron Cohen).
Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr will be involved as executive producers.
“My brother Desi and I signed on because this is a story of our folk’s real-life passionate, tempestuous, and complicated relationship and not a recreation of I Love Lucy – no one could do that. We felt exploring that relationship could be an enlightening challenge. We asked Amazon for the best and we got it with every hire. Aaron Sorkin has not told this tale as a ‘cradle to grave’ biopic. Instead, he’s chosen to illuminate a snippet of time during an incredibly intense period of their show’s enduring success. The casting choices have all been inspired and Desi and I are so looking forward to seeing what this impressive group of actors make of Sorkin’s delicious script,” explained Lucie Arnaz.
Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch of Escape Artists are producing. Jenna Block, David Bloomfield of Escape Artists, Stuart Besser, and Lauren Lohman are attached as executive producers.
Jeff Cronenweth (The Social Network, Gone Girl) is the director of photography, Jon Hutman (Unbroken) is the production designer, Susan Lyall (The Trial of the Chicago 7, Molly’s Game) is the costume designer. Oscar nominee Alan Baumgarten (The Trial of the Chicago 7) is the editor, Ellen Brill (American Horror Story) is the set decorator, and Oscar nominee Steven Morrow (Ford v Ferrari, A Star is Born) is the sound mixer.
Amazon Studios released the following description of the Being the Ricardos plot:
Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as real-life couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the stars behind the groundbreaking and classic 1950s television sitcom I Love Lucy, that focused on a happily married though seemingly mismatched couple – a flame-haired, accident-prone American housewife, and her sensible Cuban-American bandleader husband – that became the top-rated and most beloved show of the era.
Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman is the eponymous redheaded star of I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball, and fellow Oscar winner Javier Bardem is her husband, Desi Arnaz, the Cuban-American actor, musician, and president of their television production company, Desilu Productions. On I Love Lucy, Ball and Arnaz portrayed America’s most famous TV couple, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. But in real life, their relationship was infamously more complex and tumultuous than the hilarious fictional characters they portray.
The film is set during one production week of I Love Lucy — Monday table read through Friday audience filming — when Lucy and Desi face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.
The cast of Lucasfilm’s ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ (Photo Credit: Disney+)
Hayden Christensen returns as Darth Vader and Ewan McGregor reprises his role as the beloved Jedi Master in Disney+ and Lucasfilm’s event series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Disney+ announced the series will begin filming in April and confirmed new actors have joined the special event series’ cast.
Joining Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen will be Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, and Kumail Nanjiani. Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie also star in the upcoming addition to the iconic Star Wars franchise.
Deborah Chow, director of The Mandalorian‘s season one episodes “Chapter 7: The Reckoning” and “Chapter 3: The Sin,” directs Obi-Wan Kenobi. Joby Harold is the writer and executive produces along with Chow, McGregor, Kathleen Kennedy, and Michelle Rejwan. Carmen Cuba (We Are Who We Are, Stranger Things) is the casting director.
Disney+’s start of production and casting announcement did not mention when we can expect Obi-Wan Kenobi to premiere.
The Plot, Courtesy of Disney+:
The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Kenobi faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
NBC’s The Blacklist continues with an episode that finds Cooper in grave danger. Season eight episode 12, “Rakitin,” will air on Friday, April 2, 2021.
The cast of The Blacklist is led by James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington and Megan Boone as Elizabeth Keen. Diego Klattenhoff plays Donald Ressler, Amir Arison is Aram Mojtabai, Hisham Tawfiq is Dembe Zuma, and Harry Lennix stars as Harold Cooper.
“Rakitin” Plot: The Task Force’s determination to identify a Russian asset in the U.S. government puts Cooper and Reddington in increasingly treacherous positions.
Season 8 Description, Courtesy of NBC:
With his back against the wall, Raymond Reddington (Spader) faces his most formidable enemy yet: Elizabeth Keen (Boone). Aligned with her mother, infamous Russian spy Katarina Rostova, Liz must decide how far she is willing to go to find out why Reddington has entered her life and what his endgame really is. The fallout between Reddington and Keen will have devastating consequences for all that lie in their wake, including the Task Force they helped to create.
James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington in ‘The Blacklist’ season 8 episode 12 (Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma and Laura Sohn as Agent Alina Park in season 8 episode 12 (Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington in season 8 episode 12 (Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington and Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma in season 8 episode 12 (Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai, Deirdre Lovejoy as Cynthia Panabaker, and Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler in season 8 episode 12 (Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai, Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper, and Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler in season 8 episode 12 (Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)
Mac and the team are called on to help out a princess on CBS’s MacGyver season five episode 12. Directed by Anne Renton from a script by Monica Macer and Andrew Klein, episode 12 – “Royalty + Marriage + Vivaah Sanskar + Zinc + Henna” – will air on Friday, April 2, 2021 at 8pm ET/PT.
Lucas Till stars as Angus “Mac” MacGyver, Tristin Mays plays Riley Davis, and Justin Hires is Wilt Bozer. Meredith Eaton is Matty Weber, Levy Tran is Desi Nguyen, and Henry Ian Cusick plays Russ Taylor.
Episode 12 guest stars include Camilla Arfwedson, Harlan Drum, Aneesha Joshi, Noah Khyle, Alexandra Grey, and Steve Alderfer. Malone Thomas, Nandini Minocha, Ahmed Lucan, and Matt Fowler also guest star.
“Royalty + Marriage + Vivaah Sanskar + Zinc + Henna” Plot: Mac, Desi, and Russ go undercover during a royal Indian wedding to protect a princess whose policies could put her life in danger. Also, Russ and Sophia come face-to-face at the wedding, Bozer suspects Riley is up to her old hacking ways and Matty runs down a lead in hopes of getting to the bottom of Mac and Riley’s ingested nano-trackers.
MacGyver, a reimagining of the classic series, is an action-adventure drama about 20-something Angus “Mac” MacGyver, who is part of a clandestine organization within the U.S. government, where he uses his extraordinary talent for unconventional problem-solving and vast scientific knowledge to save lives. Joining his team on high-risk missions around the globe are Riley Davis, an unpredictable computer hacker with a chip on her shoulder; Wilt Bozer, Mac’s roommate and an agent on the team; Matty Weber, a legend in Covert Ops and the director of operations at the Phoenix Foundation; Desi Nguyen, whose job is to protect MacGyver and his team on their global missions; and Russ Taylor, quick-witted, Oxford-educated, ex-military skilled in propaganda and lie detection, who shakes things up by challenging the way MacGyver and the team are used to doing things.
Under the aegis of the Phoenix Foundation, MacGyver takes on the responsibility of saving the world, armed to the teeth with resourcefulness and little more than bubble gum and a paper clip.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced WonderCon to go virtual (hopefully things will be back to normal in 2022), with networks and film studios presenting panels via YouTube promoting their series and upcoming movies. Hulu hosted a special 40 minute panel on the much-anticipated adult animated series Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K., teasing what’s in store over season one.
The WonderCon@Home panel included the series’ co-creators/writers/executive producers Jordan Blum and Patton Oswalt (the voice of Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing aka M.O.D.O.K.) as well as voice cast members Melissa Fumero (the voice of M.O.D.O.K.’s daughter, Melissa), Lucifer‘s Aimee Garcia (M.O.D.O.K.’s long-suffering wife, Jodie), Ben Schwartz (the voice of M.O.D.O.K.’s son, Lou), and Jon Daly (Super-Adaptoid).
During the fan Q&A, Oswalt was asked about the series’ humor and how it was decided to make this animated version of the character less threatening. “You know, it’s weird. It wasn’t really a decision to add comedy because even when we went back and read the original M.O.D.O.K. from the original comic that he was in – Captain America and The Falcon – there was an element of humor to him in that he’s so self-loathing and so full of angst that it’s kind of funny,” explained Oswalt. “He’s also such a ridiculously-created supervillain. He’s just this thing that lives in misery so we had a lot of fun just going, ‘Well, if we just extend out what he already is, it’s kind of funny.'”
Patton was also asked about the decision to do a stop-motion Marvel animated series. “We looked at a lot of different animation styles,” said Oswalt. “The stop-motion…there was just something about it because it’s Kirby and you want all the emotions and the facial expressions to be so big that stop-motion just ended up being the way to go.”
The panel also included the announcement of special season one guest stars. Jon Hamm will be voicing Iron Man, Whoopi Goldberg is Poundcakes, Nathan Fillion will be Wonder Man, and Bill Hader is taking on Angar the Screamer and The Leader.
Hulu will be launching the animated series on May 21, 2021. Additional series regulars include Wendi McLendon-Covey as Monica, Beck Bennett as Austin Van Der Sleet, and Sam Richardson as the voice of Gary.
A scene from ‘Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.’ (Photo Courtesy of Hulu)
The Plot:
In Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K., the megalomaniacal supervillain M.O.D.O.K. has long pursued his dream of one day conquering the world. But after years of setbacks and failures fighting the Earth’s mightiest heroes, M.O.D.O.K. has run his evil organization A.I.M. into the ground. Ousted as A.I.M.’s leader, while also dealing with his crumbling marriage and family life, the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing is set to confront his greatest challenge yet!
Jim Sturgess and Brooklynn Prince in ‘Home Before Dark’ season 2 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Season two of Apple TV+’s original series Home Before Dark has set a Friday, June 11, 2021 premiere date. Season one of the family mystery, which premiered in April 2020, starred Jim Sturgess (Feed the Beast) and Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project) as father and daughter journalists who move back to a small town and immediately get caught up in a murder investigation.
In addition to Sturgess and Prince, Home Before Dark stars Abby Miller (The Sinner), Kylie Rogers (The Whispers), Aziza Scott (The Fosters), Michael Weston (The Resident), Joelle Carter (Dirty John), Jibrail Nantambu (Your Honor), Deric McCabe (A Wrinkle in Time), and Rio Mangini (Everything Sucks!).
Season one was made of up 10 episodes that dropped on the series’ premiere date. Season two’s 10 episodes will be delivered once a week on Fridays.
Home Before Dark is inspired by the life of Hilde Lysiak and was created by Dana Fox and Dara Resnik. Fox is the showrunner and executive produces along with Resnik, Jon M. Chu (the first season’s director), Joy Gorman Wettels, Howard Deutch, Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner, and Sharlene Martin. The series is a Paramount Television Studios and Anonymous Content production.
A scene from ‘Home Before Dark’ season 2 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Apple offered up a brief look back at season one along with a description of what’s in store for season two:
“Home Before Dark is a dramatic mystery series inspired by the reporting of a young investigative journalist, Hilde Lysiak. Directed and executive produced by Jon M. Chu, the series follows a young girl named Hilde (Prince) who moves from the city of Brooklyn to the small lakeside town her father (Sturgess) left behind. While there, her dogged pursuit of the truth leads her to unearth a cold case that everyone in town, including her own father, tried hard to bury.
In season two, when a mysterious explosion hits a local farm, reporter Hilde Lisko begins an investigation that will lead her to fight a powerful and influential corporation – with the health of her family and Erie Harbor in the balance.”
The CW’s released photos, plot details, and the cast list for the upcoming series premiere of Kung Fu, a reworked reboot of the popular 1970s action series that starred David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine. Season one will debut in the Wednesdays at 8pm ET/PT timeslot currently occupied by Riverdale beginning April 7, 2021. Riverdale will take a mid-season five break and return on July 7th with new episodes.
The new version of Kung Fu flips genders and has Olivia Liang (Legacies) in the lead. The cast also includes Kheng Hua Tan (Crazy Rich Asians) as Mei-Li Shen, Shannon Dang (So Foreign) as Althea Shen, Eddie Liu (Never Have I Ever) as Henry Yan, Gavin Stenhouse (Allegiance) as Evan Hartley, Vanessa Kai (Off the Rails) as Pei-Ling Zhang, Tony Chung as Dennis Soong, and Tzi Ma (Mulan) as Jin Shen.
The CW’s Kung Fu showrunners are Christina M. Kim (Blindspot) and Robert Berens. Kim wrote the first episode and executive produces with Berens, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Martin Gero, and David Madden. Hanelle Culpepper directed the pilot.
2021’s Kung Fu, inspired by Ed Spielman’s original series, is a Berlanti Productions and Quinn’s House production in association with Warner Bros. Television.
The network offered the following description of season one:
“A quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese American woman, Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang), to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to San Francisco, she finds her hometown is overrun with crime and corruption and her own parents Jin (Tzi Ma) and Mei-Li (Kheng Hua Tan) are at the mercy of a powerful Triad.
Nicky will rely on her tech-savvy sister Althea (Shannon Dang) and Althea’s fiancé Dennis (Tony Chung), pre-med brother Ryan (Jon Prasida), Assistant District Attorney and ex-boyfriend Evan (Gavin Stenhouse) and new love interest Henry (Eddie Liu) as well as her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community and bring criminals to justice…all while searching for the ruthless assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor Pei-Ling (Vanessa Kai) and is now targeting her.”
Emmy Award-winner Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) has signed on to host Domino Masters, a new competition series coming to Fox. Domino Masters is expected to join the network’s primetime lineup during the 2021-2022 season.
“Over the past year, fans of dominoes and chain reaction games took their creativity and passion to social media platforms, with outrageous and extraordinary displays, reimagining these classic games and introducing them to a whole new audience,” stated Rob Wade, President, Alternative Entertainment and Specials, FOX Entertainment. “Domino Masters will take this passion to a whole new level in a truly original format. And Eric is the perfect host to harness the fun and excitement, as viewers witness true artists creating some of the most innovative domino topples ever envisioned.”
The FOX Alternative Entertainment production has Gail Berman, Danny Schrader, and Hend Baghdady on board as executive producers.
Stonestreet spent 11 seasons playing fan-favorite Cameron Tucker on Modern Family and earned two Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Emmys for his work on the popular half-hour comedy. Stonestreet also picked up Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, Critics Choice, and TCA award nominations during Modern Family‘s run.
Fox released the following description of the new unscripted competition series:
“Domino Masters brings imagination and creative ingenuity to life when teams of domino enthusiasts go head-to-head in a toppling tournament to create mind-blowing masterpieces, with infinite possibilities and thousands of tiles and unique kinetic devices. Sixteen skilled teams will compete against each other in ambitious domino-building challenges to be crowned the country’s most talented amateur domino topplers.
In each episode, the teams will be given a bold theme and exciting custom elements to incorporate into their topples. The competing pairs who most impress the judges will progress to the next round, until the finale, during which the top teams will face off for a cash prize, the ultimate trophy and the grand title of DOMINO MASTERS.”
Now this is the comic book-inspired movie we deserve after what the world has endured over the past year. Warner Bros. Pictures just released the officially twisted trailer for The Suicide Squad from “the horribly beautiful mind of James Gunn” as well as a batch of photos featuring the ensemble cast.
Margot Robbie (Birds of Prey) stars as Harley Quinn, Idris Elba (Avengers: Infinity War) is Bloodsport, John Cena (Bumblebee) is Peacemaker, Joel Kinnaman (Suicide Squad) is Colonel Rick Flag, Jai Courtney (Divergent) is Captain Boomerang, Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) plays Amanda Waller, and Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who) is Thinker. David Dastmalchian (Ant-Man and the Wasp) plays Polka Dot Man, Daniela Melchior (Parque Mayer) is Ratcatcher 2, Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy) plays Savant, Alice Braga (Elysium) is Sol Soria, and Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island) is Blackguard.
The cast also includes Joaquín Cosio (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Juan Diego Botto (The Europeans), Storm Reid (The Invisible Man), Nathan Fillion (The Rookie), Steve Agee (Brightburn), Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Mayling Ng (Wonder Woman), Flula Borg (Ralph Breaks the Internet), Jennifer Holland (Peacemaker), Tinashe Kajese (Valor), and Sylvester Stallone (Expendables).
James Gunn wrote and directed the R-rated action film based on DC characters. Charles Roven and Peter Safran produced, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo, Nikolas Korda, and Richard Suckle executive producing.
Warner Bros. Pictures has set an August 6, 2021 release in theaters and on HBO Max.
The Plot, Courtesy of Warner Bros:
Welcome to hell—a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.
Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them—all of them.
