We are so excited to see this new series. Hopefully, it will be much more accurate than "Emerald City".
Variety/Den of Geek
Legendary Entertainment is developing a TV series set in the Land of Oz from the novels by L. Frank Baum, Variety has learned exclusively.
The untitled series hails from Ed Ricourt, who will write and produce. The series will examine stories and characters in Oz that haven’t been previously explored.
When the return of a long-exiled Witch brings fear, division and war to Oz, the only hope is a servant girl who may become the most powerful and dangerous woman in the land.
Dmitri M. Johnson & Stephan Bugaj of dj2 Entertainment will executive produce. Legendary is said to be near a deal for a director on the project.
“I’m thrilled to partner with Legendary TV and dj2 to adapt my take on Baum’s rich, complex OZ book series which has influenced me creatively since childhood,” said Ricourt.
Ricourt previously co-wrote the story and screenplay for the hit 2013 film “Now You See Me,” with the sequel premiering in 2016. His other credits include “Wayward Pines” and “Jessica Jones.” His feature script, “Year 12,” was featured on the 2009 Black List. Ricourt is also a writer and producer on the upcoming Netflix series “Raising Dion” and worked on the upcoming reboot of “The Twilight Zone” at CBS All Access.
NERDIST L. Frank Baum wrote fourteen novels set in the land of Oz, starting with the most well known in 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which was meant to be a one-off. But its tremendous success lead to another thirteen books written by Baum.
The original sequel books, which had some very wild and imaginative ideas and beautiful illustrations, have never been adapted properly, with most post-1939 Wizard of Oz adaptations picking and choosing parts from the various sequels. With Wicked coming to movie theaters in 2021, it seems we are in for a big Oz revival, and hopefully, fans of the original books will see some of their favorite elements from the classic novels adapted for the very first time.
The new show has really big shoes to fill! One of my very favorite series of all time may have a new sequel and I am really excited about the news!!
A new installment of “NYPD Blue” has scored a pilot production commitment at ABC, Variety has learned.
The new series follows Andy Sipowicz’s son, Theo, as he tries to earn his detective shield and work in the 15th squad while investigating his father’s murder. Original series writers and executive producers Matt Olmstead and Nick Wootton will write and executive produce the new show, with Jesse Bochco–son of “NYPD Blue” co-creator Steven Bocho–executive producing and directing. Dayna Bochco, Steven’s wife, will produce. ABC Studios will produce in association with 20th Century Fox Television.
Olmstead is repped by WME and Bloom Hergott. Wootton is repped by WME and Hirsch Wallerstein.
The original “NYPD Blue” ran for over 260 episodes and 12 seasons on ABC from 1993-2005. The series starred Dennis Franz, David Caruso, Jimmy Smits, James McDaniel, Amy Brenneman, and Nicholas Turturro among many others during its run. The show was nominated for 84 Emmy Awards and won the best drama series Emmy in 1995 and won the Best Drama Series Golden Globe in 1994. Franz also picked up multiple best actor in a drama series Emmys for his role as Andy Sipowicz.
Should the project move forward, it would mark the latest revival or continuation of a storied series to make it to air on a broadcast network in recent years. ABC most recently revived “Roseanne,” which was subsequently brought back as “The Conners” following the firing of series creator and star Roseanne Barr. On CBS, “Murphy Brown” was brought back after 20 years, while Fox has revived shows like “The X-Files,” “Prison Break,” and “24.”
The announcement comes on the heels of the critically-acclaimed NBC live staging of “Jesus Christ Superstar” on Easter Sunday. “Hair Live” is currently slated to air in spring 2019. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who have executive produced each of NBC’s live musicals since “The Sound of Music,” will executive produce the telecast.
“Hair” tells the story of a group of politically active hippies living a bohemian life in New York while fighting against and resisting the Vietnam War. Claude, his good friends Berger and Sheila, and their “tribe” are coming of age in the world of the sexual revolution while struggling with their rebellion against the war and their conservative parents and society. Claude must decide whether to resist the draft as his friends have done, or succumb to the pressures of conservative America to serve in Vietnam, compromising his principles and beliefs. Read More
VARIETY: Broadway musicals “Mean Girls” and “SpongeBob SquarePants” topped the list of 2018 nominations for the Tony Awards, with each show scoring a dozen noms apiece. Musical “The Band’s Visit” and play revival “Angels in America” took 11 each, while hot-ticket play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” got 10.
Celebrity names also did well this year, with Bruce Springsteen picking up a special Tony for his mega-selling show “Springsteen on Broadway” and nominees on the list “Mean Girls” co-creator Tina Fey as well as actors Denzel Washington (“The Iceman Cometh”), Amy Schumer (“Meteor Shower”), Michael Cera (“Lobby Hero”), Tony Shalhoub (“The Band’s Visit”), Laurie Metcalf, Glenda Jackson (both of “Three Tall Women”), Andrew Garfield, Nathan Lane (both from “Angels in America”) and Lauren Ambrose and Diana Rigg (both in “My Fair Lady”). READ MORE
Here is the list of 2018 Tony nominations:
Best Play:
“The Children”
“Farinelli and The King”
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
“Junk”
“Latin History for Morons”
Best Musical:
“The Band’s Visit”
“Frozen”
“Mean Girls”
“SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Best Revival of a Play:
“Angels in America”
“Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women”
“Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh”
“Lobby Hero”
“Travesties”
Best Revival of a Musical:
“My Fair Lady”
“Once On This Island”
“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Best Book of a Musical:
“The Band’s Visit,” Itamar Moses
“Frozen,” Jennifer Lee
“Mean Girls,” Tina Fey
“SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical,” Kyle Jarrow
Best Original Score:
“Angels in America”
“The Band’s Visit”
“Frozen”
“Mean Girls”
“SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play:
Andrew Garfield, “Angels in America”
Tom Hollander, “Travesties”
Jamie Parker, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
Mark Rylance, “Farinelli and The King”
Denzel Washington, “Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play:
Glenda Jackson, “Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women”
Condola Rashad, “Saint Joan”
Lauren Ridloff, “Children of a Lesser God”
Amy Schumer, “Meteor Shower”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical:
Harry Hadden-Paton, “My Fair Lady”
Joshua Henry, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Tony Shalhoub, “The Band’s Visit”
Ethan Slater, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical:
Lauren Ambrose, “My Fair Lady”
Hailey Kilgore, “Once On This Island”
LaChanze, “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”
Katrina Lenk, “The Band’s Visit”
Taylor Louderman, “Mean Girls”
Jessie Mueller, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play”
Anthony Boyle, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
Michael Cera, “Lobby Hero”
Brian Tyree Henry, “Lobby Hero”
Nathan Lane, “Angels in America”
David Morse, “Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play:
Susan Brown, “Angels in America”
Noma Dumezweni, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
Deborah Findlay, “The Children”
Denise Gough, “Angels in America”
Laurie Metcalf, “Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical:
Norbert Leo Butz, “My Fair Lady”
Alexander Gemignani, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Grey Henson, “Mean Girls”
Gavin Lee, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Ari’el Stachel, “The Band’s Visit”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical:
Ariana DeBose, “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”
Renée Fleming, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Lindsay Mendez, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Ashley Park, “Mean Girls”
Diana Rigg, “My Fair Lady”
Best Scenic Design of a Play:
Miriam Buether, “Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women”
Jonathan Fensom, “Farinelli and The King”
Christine Jones, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
Santo Loquasto, “Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh”
Ian MacNeil and Edward Pierce, “Angels in America”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical:
Dane Laffrey, “Once On This Island”
Scott Pask, “The Band’s Visit”
Scott Pask, Finn Ross & Adam Young, “Mean Girls”
Michael Yeargan, “My Fair Lady”
David Zinn, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Best Costume Design of a Play:
Jonathan Fensom, “Farinelli and The King”
Nicky Gillibrand, “Angels in America”
Katrina Lindsay, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
Ann Roth, “Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women”
Ann Roth, “Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh”
Best Costume Design of a Musical:
Gregg Barnes, “Mean Girls”
Clint Ramos, “Once On This Island”
Ann Roth, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
David Zinn, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Catherine Zuber, “My Fair Lady”
Best Lighting Design of a Play:
Neil Austin, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
Paule Constable, “Angels in America”
Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, “Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh”
Paul Russell, “Farinelli and The King”
Ben Stanton, “Junk”
Best Lighting Design of a Musical:
Kevin Adams, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, “Once On This Island”
Donald Holder, “My Fair Lady”
Brian MacDevitt, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Tyler Micoleau, “The Band’s Visit”
Best Sound Design of a Play:
Adam Cork, “Travesties”
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, “Angels in America”
Gareth Fry, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
Tom Gibbons, “1984”
Dan Moses Schreier, “Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh”
Best Sound Design of a Musical:
Kai Harada, “The Band’s Visit”
Peter Hylenski, “Once On This Island”
Scott Lehrer, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Brian Ronan, “Mean Girls”
Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Best Direction of a Play:
Marianne Elliott, “Angels in America”
Joe Mantello, “Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women”
Patrick Marber, “Travesties”
John Tiffany, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
George C. Wolfe, “Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh”
Best Direction of a Musical:
Michael Arden, “Once On This Island”
David Cromer, “The Band’s Visit”
Tina Landau, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Casey Nicholaw, “Mean Girls”
Bartlett Sher, “My Fair Lady”
Best Choreography:
Christopher Gattelli, “My Fair Lady”
Christopher Gattelli, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Steven Hoggett, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
Casey Nicholaw, “Mean Girls”
Justin Peck, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Best Orchestrations:
John Clancy, “Mean Girls”
Tom Kitt, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Annmarie Milazzo & Michael Starobin, “Once On This Island”
Jamshied Sharifi, “The Band’s Visit”
Jonathan Tunick, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories
Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre:
Chita Rivera
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Special Tony Awards:
John Leguizamo
Bruce Springsteen
The order comes less than two weeks after the network ordered the project to pilot. The half-hour comedy is based on the 1996 Paramount film of the same name, which was itself based on the 1992 book of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. It will follow a group of New York women who band together after their marriages fall apart, and who find strength in their sisterhood and a little revenge. Paramount Network has ordered 10 half-hour episodes.
Tracy Oliver, who co-wrote the screenplay for the hit comedy film “Girls Trip,” will write and executive produce. Karen Rosenfelt will also executive produce along with Scott Rudin. Tony Hernandez of JAX Media will also serve as executive producer. Brad Gardner will serve as the executive in charge of production and will oversee the project for the network. Paramount Television will produce. Production will begin in New York City this summer with the series slated to debut on in 2019. READ MORE
A+E Networks has set a first-look development pact with Leah Remini and renewed her “Scientology and the Aftermath” docu-series for a third season.
The production deal comes on the heels of A+E’s launch of an unscripted production unit dubbed A+E Originals. The plan is for Remini to develop a range of documentary content, beyond the subject of Scientology, for A&E, Lifetime, History and other in-house A+E platforms.
“I am so incredibly proud of this show and the movement that has started around it which continues to grow each and every day,” said Remini. “I’m honored to have a home at A+E Networks and am grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to expand our relationship telling brave stories and bringing truth to light, no matter the obstacles.”
“Scientology and the Aftermath” won the Emmy for informational series last year. The veteran actress’ expose of the organization birthed by L. Ron Hubbard is one of a handful of docu-series successes (notably “60 Days In” and “Live P.D.”) that have generated renewed momentum for A&E, which had been struggling with double-digit viewership losses.
“Leah is an incredible talent and collaborator with a unique point of view and we are looking forward to developing her brand of brave storytelling to new topics,” said Buccieri. “The creation of A+E Originals provides the opportunity for us to partner directly with the industry’s best nonfiction storytellers like Leah, both in front of and behind the camera, to bring their ideas to audiences around the world.”
The unit expects to order at least 50 hours of programming this year. “Scientology” has been renewed for eight hourlong episodes, plus five specials. “Scientology and the Aftermath” is produced for A&E Network by the Intellectual Property Corporation. Remini, IPC’s Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman, and showrunner Myles Reiff. READ MORE
