Author: Kate Stanhope

September 30, 2016 10:30am PT by Kate Stanhope

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The Oscar winner will make his on-screen debut in the WGN America drama’s second season.

John Legend is stepping in front of the camera.

The Oscar-winning musician and Underground executive producer has signed on for a key role in the upcoming second season of the WGN America drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Legend will play famed abolitionist and author Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery, Douglass daringly escaped bondage in Maryland and went onto become a revolutionary leader of the 19th century. A prominent writer, celebrated speaker and progressive political reformist, he was considered a beacon of hope for many.

Douglass is one of several real-life figures featured in the historical series, which centers on the Underground Railroad. Aisha Hinds (Under the Dome) will recur as Harriet Tubman, Chris Chalk plays renowned African American abolitionist William Still and Sadie Stratton portrays notorious slave trader Patty Cannon.

The 10-episode second season is currently in production in Georgia for an early 2017 launch.

Legend exec produces the series – for which he also produced the theme – with creators/showrunners Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, as well as Anthony Hemingway, Akiva Goldsman, Tory Tunnell, Joby Harold, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius, and Mark Taylor. Sony Pictures Television produces Underground in association with Get Lifted Film Company, Weed Road Pictures, Safehouse Pictures, Wandering Rocks and Tribune Studios.

Legend’s other exec producing credits including Southside With You and the Oscar hopeful La La Land starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, in which he also co-stars. Legend is repped by WME and Del Shaw.   

September 30, 2016 2:00am PT by Kate Stanhope

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The six-part mini hails from Harry and Jack Williams (‘The Missing’).

Downtown Abbey star Joanne Frogett is returning to the small screen.

The Golden Globe winner and Ioan Gruffudd have signed on to star in the six-part mini Liar for SundanceTV and ITV, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Created and written by Harry and Jack Williams (The Missing), Liar tells the story of a night that changes the lives of two people forever.

Froggatt will play Laura, a smart and dedicated teacher, not long out of a relationship and unsure about getting back on the dating scene. Gruffudd is set as Andrew, a renowned surgeon whose son is a student at Laura’s school. An initial attraction leads to a date, but neither fully realizes the far-reaching consequences that their meeting will have on each other or their families. Truth and consequences go hand in hand as the thriller examines both sides of a relationship and both sides of the truth to find out if there are really two sides to every story.

Harry and Jack Williams will exec produce through their Two Brother Pictures, which is producing in conjunction with ITV. Lead director James Strong (Broadchurch) will also exec produce, with Eliza Mellor (Poldark) attached to produce. Sam Donovan (Humans) will direct episodes 4 through 6. Filming on the six hourlong installments will begin in London and Kent, England in November. ITV’s new head of drama, Polly Hill, will oversee production.

“I am so delighted to have arrived at ITV and to be working with Jack and Harry Williams on Liar,” said Hill, who previously served as BBC’s drama chief. “They are brilliant storytellers, who have written a gripping thriller that doesn’t shy away from exploring a powerful subject. I’m thrilled we’ve commissioned Liar for ITV and secured such a terrific cast.”

SundanceTV has found success with several imported series, including The A Word from BBC and Gomorrah from Sky Italia.

“Liar is that rare combination of a thoughtful and emotional exploration of the human condition, and a page turner,” Joel Stillerman, AMC and SundanceTV president of original programming and development, said. “The Williams Brothers have created something both relevant and compelling, attributes that the SundanceTV audience respect and embrace.”

Liar was first unveiled in April by distributor All3Media Intl., which is handling international distribution for the project. Harry and Jack Williams are also working on the second season of anthology The Missing for BBC and Starz. Their credits also include the comedy Fleabag, which made its U.S. debut on Amazon earlier this month.

“We’re delighted to be reunited with Polly Hill in her new role at ITV and join forces with SundanceTV,” the Williams brothers said. “This story deals with highly emotional and important subject matter, exploring modern issues of gender politics through the lens of a character-driven emotional thriller. We couldn’t be happier with the caliber of the team we have working on this.”

Liar brings Froggatt back to ITV, where she stared on Downton Abbey for six seasons. She also recently starred in the TV movie Dark Angel and is filming the drama A Storm in the Stars, about Frankenstein writer Mary Shelley. She is repped by Conway van Gelder Grant in the UK, UTA in the U.S., and Principal Entertainment LA.

Gruffudd, best known for Fantastic Four, recently recurred on season two of UnREAL. He is repped by ICM, Framework Entertainment and Nelson Davis. 

September 29, 2016 12:20pm PT by Kate Stanhope

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Ciaran Hinds, Paul Ready and Adam Nagaitis have also signed on for the drama.

Jared Harris is returning to AMC.

The Mad Men grad has signed on to star in the network’s anthology series The Terror, it was announced Thursday.

Ciaran Hinds (Game of Thrones), Paul Ready (Cuffs) and Adam Nagaitis (Houdini and Doyle) have also come on board the project.

Based on Dan Simmons’ bestselling novel, The Terror takes place in 1847, when a Royal Naval expedition crew looking for the Northwest Passage is attacked by a mysterious predator that stalks the ships and their crew. A suspenseful and desperate game of survival subsequently unfolds.

Harris will play Francis Crozier, Captain of the HMS Terror and second in command of the expedition. He is a brilliant sailor and captain, but also an Irishman who has reached his glass ceiling in the British Royal Navy and has become disillusioned with its pomp and politics. The role brings Harris back to AMC, where he starred on Mad Men for three seasons. He earned an Emmy nomination for his performance on the acclaimed drama in 2012.

Hinds will play Sir John Franklin; Ready is set as Henry Goodsir; and Nagaitis will portray Cornelius Hickey. All three characters are integral members of the crew aboard the ships. As previously announced, Outlander and Game of Thrones favorite Tobias Menzies will play James Fitzjames, a member of the Royal Navy.

“The story of man’s battle with nature and an unknown predator makes The Terror a gripping and imaginative series, and calls for a special kind of actor,” Joel Stillerman, AMC and SundanceTV president of original programming and development, said. “We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Jared Harris and look forward to watching him transform into the complex and fascinating character of Captain Crozier. We are also delighted to work with this versatile and talented cast and share with audiences the despair and horror inside this journey of survival, hope and recognition.”  

AMC ordered The Terror to series back in March. David Kajganich (True Story) will write and also serve as co-showrunner with Soo Hugh (The Killing). The duo will exec produce with Ridley Scott and David W. Zucker of Scott Free Productions, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert of Emjag Productions and Entertainment 360’s Guymon Casady. The three shingles will produce in association with AMC Studios.

Production on the 10-part series begins this winter in Budapest for a 2017 debut.

Harris, whose other credits include Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Lincoln, will next be seen in Netflix’s The Crown. He is repped by ICM and Gateway Management Company.

AMC