More ‘Master’?
Spencer brings tale of ‘hair mogul’ to Netflix
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif, July 30, (Agencies): A roundup of news from the Television Critics Association summer meeting, at which TV networks and streaming services are presenting details on upcoming programs.
Octavia Spencer is bringing the remarkable saga of black haircare mogul Madam C.J. Walker to television.
Netflix said that Spencer will produce and star in a limited series about the outsized life of Sarah Breedlove, who was known professionally as Walker.
The eight-episode drama is based on the book “On Her Own Ground” by A’Lelia Bundles and includes basketball star LeBron James as a producer.
Walker became one of America’s first self-made female millionaires by creating and marketing hair products for African-Americans at the turn of the 20th century.
Netflix said the series will detail the hostility, rivalries and tumultuous personal life that marked Walker’s life.
Spencer is an Oscar-winning actress whose credits include “The Shape of Water,” “Hidden Figures” and “The Help.”
A release date for “Madam C.J. Walker” was not announced.
Matt Groening said his new adult cartoon series “Disenchantment” has a feminist component that sets it apart from his previous shows.
Groening spoke to reporters about bringing fresh talent to the Netflix show that included the voice actors Abbi Jacobson and Eric Andre.
He also highlighted the differences between the new project and his previous work, the long-running Fox series “The Simpsons.”
Gratifying
“One of the reasons that ‘The Simpsons’ is what it is, is because of the time constraints,” he said. “In this show, we’re able to let it breathe a little more which I find gratifying.”
The series notably stands out as an adult cartoon with a female lead. It follows the misadventures of an alcoholic slacker princess named Princess Bean, voiced by “Broad City” star Abbi Jacobson, who has everything but a sense of purpose.
Joined by a personal demon named Luci, played by Andre, and a scruffy elf named Elfo (voiced by Nat Faxon), Bean creates mischief in the kingdom of Dreamland where she’s infamous for her careless antics.
Both Jacobson and Andre have a built a following with the hard-to-win young adult audience in their shows “Broad City” and “The Eric Andre Show.” The stars shared their stories of growing up watching “The Simpsons” and finding their place with Groening and Josh Weinstein, creators and producers of “Disenchantment.” “Disenchantment” premieres Aug 17 on Netflix. Netflix is standing by “Master of None” and Aziz Ansari despite a sexual-misconduct allegation against him earlier this year.
Cindy Holland, a programming executive for the streaming service, said there’s been thought given to a third season for the comedy starring and co-created by Ansari.
She added that Netflix would “certainly be happy” to make another “Master of None” season with Ansari, but didn’t commit to it or indicate what the production or release timeline might be. The show about a young, single actor in New York last aired in 2017.
The allegation that Ansari acted improperly on a date was published in January of this year by website Babe. net, which didn’t identify the accuser. The report sparked a public debate, with some saying the claim shed light on aggressive sexual behavior and others dismissing it as a bad date that should have remained private.
In a January statement, Ansari acknowledged that he apologized to a woman in 2017 when she told him about her discomfort during a sexual encounter in his apartment that he believed to be consensual.
Multiple
Netflix announced the premiere date for multiple shows at the TCA summer press tour on Sunday.
The 10-episode limited series will launch Sept 21. The series tells the stories of Annie Landsberg (Emma Stone) and Owen Milgrim (Jonah Hill), two strangers drawn to the late stages of a mysterious pharmaceutical trial, each for their own reasons. Annie’s disaffected and aimless, fixated on broken relationships with her mother and her sister; Owen, the fifth son of wealthy New York industrialists, has struggled his whole life with a disputed diagnosis of schizophrenia.
The series also stars Justin Theroux as Dr James K. Mantleray, who claims he can repair anything about the mind with a sequence of pills of his own invention. “Maniac” was created by Patrick Somerville and directed by Cary Fukunaga.
Next, the highly-anticipated “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” based on the Archie Comics series of the same name, will launch on Oct 26.
The series stars Kiernan Shipka in the title role and reimagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult, and witchcraft. In addition to Shipka, the cast includes Miranda Otto, Lucy Davis, Ross Lynch, Michelle Gomez, Chance Perdomo, Jaz Sinclair, Richard Coyle, Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph, Abigail Cowen, Lachlan Watson and Bronson Pinchot.
“Riverdale” showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who also serves as chief creative officer of Archie Comics, penned the script for the series. Aguirre-Sacasa executive produces alongside fellow “Riverdale” produers Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater, and Lee Toland Krieger. Berlanti Productions will produce in association with Warner Bros TV.
Netflix has ordered “White Lines,” a new series from the producers of “The Crown” and “La Casa de Papel,” the streamer announced at its Television Critics Assn press tour session Sunday.
The drama centers on the investigation into a legendary Manchester DJ’s disappearance from Ibiza. Two decades after he mysteriously disappeared from the Spanish island, his body is discovered, which leads his sister to travel there to find out what happened to him. In her search, she will be lead through a “thrilling world” of dance music, super yachts, lies and cover-ups — all which force her to “confront the darker sides of her own character in a place where people live life on the edge.”
“La Casa de Papel’s” Alex Pina will write and serve as showrunner, with Andy Harries and Sharon Hughff executive producing for Left Bank. Pina and Cristina Lopez will executive produce for Vancouver Media.
The announcement of “White Lines” comes just days after the streamer ordered an adaptation of “Daybreak,” and a few weeks after it greenlit a small screen version of “The Letter of the King” and picked up Josh Safran’s romantic musical drama “Mixtape.”