June 5, 2008

News Briefs

Here are a couple of things of worth noting:

  • Showtime has ordered 12 episodes of the United States of Tara written by Diablo Cody and starring Toni Collette as a woman with multiple personalities. Alexa Junge (Friends) will serve as showrunner as well as an executive producer. Steven Spielberg is also an executive producer. Pilot was directed by Craig Gillespie (wouldn't this have been a perfect opportunity to have a woman director?)
  • Hilary Swank and producer Molly Smith have launched 2S productions with a first look deal with Alcon Entertainment based at Warner Brothers.
  • Holly Hunter received a star on the Hollywood walk of fame last week. Here's an overview of some of her accomplishments: Holly Hunter Finds Grace (Variety)
  • Fox optioned Julie Buxbaum's novel The Opposite of Love for Kara Holder to adapt.
  • Keke Palmer has been cast as the lead in the Nickelodeon pilot True Fashion said to be a combination of "Big meets The Devil Wars Prada." "Show centers on a 15-year-old tapped to head the teen division of a major fashion label." (HR)
  • Barbara Kopple is partnering with City Lights Television on a documentary series titled 3 Americas, which will explore how class affects the day-to-day lives and behavior of three American families of varying socioeconomic status. (HR)
  • Natasha McElhone will star in Heaven & Earth as the first female British doctor who had to disguise herself as a guy in order to practice. Marleen Gorris directs the $15 m film which shots at the end of the year.
  • French screen diva Fanny Ardant will make her directing debut with the family drama Ashes and Blood, which she also wrote. (HR)
  • HBO is adapted the British prison drama Bad Girls. Oscar nominated writer Nancy Oliver and Raelle Tucker are writing the adaptation and they will executive produce with Eileen Gallagher. "Co-created by Gallagher, Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus, Bad Girls has been praised for its portrayal of the complex relationships among female inmates.“ (HR)