3 minute read
This week’s roundup of who’s casting what starring whom
What’s Casting
A New Kind of Musical Royalty
Fox will crown the first family of country on “Monarch”
By Rebecca Welch
STAY IN THE LOOP ON INDUS-
try 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.
Creator Melissa London Hilfers is anointing a fictional first family of country music with “Monarch.” The upcoming series from Fox will follow the Romans, a brood that is considered to be country Howey, the series will take place in the 23rd century in deep space, where beacons exist to help ships navigate safely. Headey plays one of two people who find themselves stranded at the outer edges when they answer a call from a solitary beacon keeper. While Headey is the only one currently set to star in the project from creator Zak Penn,
Seth Yanklewitz Casting
is on board to find additional talent for the futuristic thriller. Production will begin in early October in Ontario.
“Scrap”
A new film from writer-director-star Vivian Kerr deals with the mental and emotional effects of homelessness. Kerr will play Beth, a woman who tries to keep the fact that she’s living out of her car from her brother, who is taking care of her young daughter. She sets out to find work while maintaining the guise of her former lifestyle. The feature, based on a short of the same name from Kerr, will additionally feature Anthony Rapp (“Star Trek: Discovery”). While no other actors have been announced, Morman Boling Casting is finding additional talent. The drama will start shooting in July in Los Angeles.
royalty. With the family’s reputation in jeopardy, scion Nicky Roman takes the opportunity to defend her lineage in an industry that’s stacked against her. Ulrich/Dawson/ Kritzer Casting is on board to fill key roles in the currently actorless musical drama, which is expected to premiere in January 2022. Hilfers is also executive producing, with Michael Rauch (“Instinct,” “Royal Pains”) on board as showrunner. Production is scheduled to start in early September in Atlanta and will continue through spring 2022.
Lena Headey of “Game of Thrones” fame is leaving the medieval world behind to step into the future. The actor has signed on to AMC Networks and Spectrum Originals’ sci-fi series “Beacon 23.” Based on the novel of the same name by bestselling author Hugh For the latest news, check out backstage.com/resources to find thousands of production listings, casting directors, acting classes, agents, and more!
FILM
Weinstein Scandal Heads to the Big Screen
By Casey Mink
MAKING MOVIES ABOUT ITSELF IS
among Hollywood’s favorite pastimes, though these films tend to be Tinseltown sendups. This will not be the case for “She Said,” a forthcoming feature based on the bestseller that documents how two New York Times reporters broke the Harvey Weinstein story nearly four years ago. Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan are in negotiations to play the two journalists, Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, in the feature directed by Maria Schrader (“Unorthodox”). Set to begin production this summer, the project will feature a script from Rebecca Lenkiewicz (“Disobedience”).
