Living in the Platinum Age of Peak TV means that not only is there a ton of television to watch, there’s a lot of news to go along with it. We here at Collider are only human, and there are only so many hours in the day; so from now on, each week we’ll be rounding up a batch of stories that might have missed your attention (and some that, at the time, missed ours), from updates on reboots to new featurettes to casting, and much more.
This week:Lotsof casting updates, fromMayans MCandStar Trek: DiscoverytoCloak & Daggerand …The Bachelorette? Yes, it’s all important. Plus,Kenneth Lonerganis adaptingHowards Endfor Starz, and much more. Check it all out below:
Edward James Olmos to Star in ‘Mayans MC’
Helping to assuage some of my skepticism overKurt Sutter’sSon’s of AnarchyspinoffMayans MCis the recent casting news thatEdward James Olmos(or as I will always think of him,Battlestar Galactica’s Commander Adama) will be starring. The reality is that even thoughThe Bastard Executionerwas a mess and the last few seasons ofSons of Anarchywere a mixed bag, whenSOAwas good it was great. WithMayans, it’s a chance for Sutter to expand that world while also bringing something fresh to the TV landscape. Now that Olmos onboard, it feels like maybe it’s all coming together.
According toTV Line,
“Set in a post Jax Teller world, the project — which thus far has received a pilot order — centers on EZ Reyes, a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the Cali/Mexi border who struggles with his desire for vengeance against the cartel, and his need for respect from the women he loves. Olmos will play the Reyes family’s once-strong patriarch Felipe, who, after years of being crushed by bullets and hard labor, struggles to keep his past buried and lead his sons down a lawful, righteous path.”
‘Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger’ Reveals New Cast Members & Character Bios
We have not reached Peak Superhero yet, and so here’s another comic book series on TV for ya: Marvel’sCloak & Dagger, which is in production and will air on Freeform. ThoughOlivia HoltandAubrey Josephhave already been announced as taking the two leading roles, Freeform sent out a press release this week with information on six more characters and who will play them:
Here’s the series’ synopsis:
“Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger” is a coming-of-age series based on the beloved comic characters. Tandy Bowen (Olivia Holt)and Tyrone Johnson (Aubrey Joseph,) come from starkly different backgrounds, each growing up with a secret they never dared share with another soul.
Jessica Biel Murders a Stranger in ‘The Sinner’ Trailer
Based onPetra Hammesfahr’s novel of the same name, the first installment of USA’s upcoming crime anthologyThe Sinnerfinds a young mother (Jessica Biel) committing a vicious crime in broad daylight. The story is not a whodunnit but a whydunnit, as a dogged investigator (played byBill Pullman) attempts to unravel the mystery that even Biel’s character doesn’t understand. She doesn’t know why she did this, and yet, the more we learn about her past the more becomes clear about what led her to snap.
It’s an interesting idea, as long as the interrogation scenes don’t get too tedious. The series doesn’t have a premiere date yet, but USA looks like it’s definitely hoping to continue to capitalize on some of the good will it’s earned with more serious series likeMr. Robot.
‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Adds Three More Cast Members
There’s still quite a bit we don’t know aboutStar Trek: Discovery, and with production delays haunting the series, it’ll be a long time until more is likely revealed. But there is something to say about just experiencing the thing and not nitpicking it to death beforehand. Remember howStranger Thingscame up out of nowhere, and how satisfying that was? Yes I know that Star Trek is a huge and storied property and there are a lot of expectations, but sometimes it’s better to not have a preconceived notion of how things will play out!
All that having been said, CBS released some information this week about three new cast members to the series, and who they will be playing:
The 13-episode series, set before the events of the original show, will premiere either later this year or early 2018, though no exact date has been revealed yet. The series also starsSonequa Martin-Green,Anthony Rapp,Michelle Yeoh,Doug Jones, andJames Frainas Spock’s father, Sarek.
Kenneth Lonergan to Adapt ‘Howards End’ for Starz and the BBC
I did not have to readE. M. Forster’s novelHowards Endin high school, but according to Starz, their adaption will be a “four-part limited series exploring the changing landscape of social and class divisions in turn of the century England through the prism of three families: the intellectual and idealistic Schlegels, the wealthy Wilcoxes from the world of business, and the working class Basts.”
Essentially, settle in for your next prestige TV series.Manchester By the Sea’sKenneth Lonerganwill pen the script for the co-production with the BBC, which will starHayley Atwellas Margaret Schlegel,Matthew Macfadyenas Henry Wilcox, andTracey Ullmanas Aunt Juley Mund. Delightful!
ABC Finally Casts a Black Woman as ‘The Bachelorette’
F I N AL L Y
Here at Collider, we don’t normally cover the happenings of unscripted TV series, mostly because there aren’t enough hours in the day. You have to draw a line in the sand somewhere! But this news of casting attorney Rachel Lindsay forThe Bacheloretteis significant. The ABC dating series has come under fire for years for its lack of diversity, but to truly understand what all of this means, I direct you not to Season 2 ofUnREAL— which handled its subplot of a black Bachelor terribly — but to Linda Holmes’ piece on “The Purely Accidental Lessons Of The First Black ‘Bachelorette’” over on NPR’s pop culture blog.
‘Versace: American Crime Story’ Finds Its Stars
The less said aboutRyan Murphytackling Hurricane Katrina in his next season ofAmerican Crime Storythe better, however, I’m happy to focus on the third season ofACS, which will cover the 1997 murder of Gianni Versace by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. That feels far more in Muphy’s wheelhouse than Katrina, but we’ll see!
According toTHR, the production has recently cast its two key roles, withThe Bourne Ultimatum’sEdgar Ramirezplaying Versace, andGlee’sDarren Crissplaying Cunanan. The 10-episodes series is filming concurrently with Katrina, and should air shortly afterwards (most likely in early 2018). It is based on the bookVulgar Favorsby Vanity Fair writer Maureen Orth.Tom Rob Smithwill pen the first two episodes as well as several others.
