TV Show Casting

TV Casting: PENNYWORTH, MRS. AMERICA, Josh Whitehouse & Naomi Watts in GAME OF THRONES Prequel Pilot, & More

Naomi Watts Smiling Red Carpet

Pennyworth, Mrs. America, Game of Thrones Prequel Pilot, and other TV Show Casting

Pennyworth, Mrs. America, Game of Thrones Prequel Pilot and other TV productions have made recent TV show casting, TV movie casting, and TV directing news. These shows and movies air on: HBO, Epix, The CW, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Fox, Hulu, FX, and TNT. Beware of spoilers in these casting announcements.

Game of Throne Prequel Pilot

Naomi Watts has been cast as Jane Goldman, “a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret.”

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Josh Whitehouse has been cast in the lead role but that role is as yet unspecified.

Game of Thrones‘ prequel series plot synopsis: “The untitled pilot takes the prequel concept to a new level as it is set thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones. The series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: from the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend… it’s not the story we think we know.”

The Game of Thrones prequel series is written by Jane Goldman.

Pennyworth (Epix)

Jason Flemyng has been cast as Lord Hardwood, a “cultured, urbane, brilliant and supremely sure of himself with a sadistic, cruel nature [with] a veneer of charm, is an upper-class Englishmen and partner-in-crime to Bet Sykes.”

This actor joins already cast: Paloma Faith, Jack Bannon, Ben Aldridge, Ryan Fletcher, and Hainsley Lloyd Bennett.

Pennyworth‘s plot synopsis: “Pennyworth follows Bruce Wayne’s legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth, a former British SAS soldier in his 20’s, who forms a security company and goes to work with a young billionaire Thomas Wayne, who’s not yet Bruce’s father, in 1960s London.

Alfred is described as a boyishly handsome, cheerful, charming, clever young man from London. You would never take him for an SAS killer, thanks to his honest, open-faced, and witty demeanor. Alfred doesn’t know how to reconcile the kind-hearted boy he used to be with the cold, calculated killer he was forced to become, and he doesn’t know what to make of himself yet.”

Bruno Heller wrote the screenplay for the Danny Cannon-directed pilot episode.

Mrs. America (FX)

Cate Blanchett has been cast as Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative radical.

Mrs. America’s plot synopsis: “Mrs. America will explore the rise of feminism through the eyes of Schlafly, who led the backlash to the work of second-wave feminists like Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug, and Jill Ruckelshaus. Schlafly waged a campaign against the passage of the ERA as well as against the legalization of abortion and the gay rights movement.”

Dahvi Waller wrote the screenplays for the series.

Looking for Alaska (Hulu)

Kristine Froseth has been cast as Alaska Young.

Charlie Plummer has been cast as Miles “Pudge” Halter.

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Looking for Alaska‘s plot synopsis: based on the book by John Green, “The series is based on the John Green novel of the same name. It is told through the eyes of teenager Miles “Pudge” Halter, as he enrolls in boarding school to try to gain a deeper perspective on life. He falls in love with a girl, Alaska Young, and after her unexpected death, he and his close friends attempt to uncover the truth behind her death and make sense of it.”

Josh Schwartz wrote the screenplay for the pilot episode for the eight part mini series.

Rendlesham

Laurence Fishburne has been cast as Tyrone, “a retired American airman previously stationed at the infamous US air base during the height of the Cold War. Alongside wife Carol and son Brock, Tyrone returns for the first time to visit Carol’s dying father and is forced to face events that have haunted him his whole life.”

Rendlesham‘s plot synopsis: “inspired by a “real-life” UFO incident, which took place at a US air base close to the village of Rendlesham, Suffolk in 1980. Several people in the village’s small forest including a number of air force servicemen claimed to witness a glowing object in the sky before it flew off into the trees. The sighting was recorded by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt in an official report that was made public in 1983 but was subsequently rubbished by other officers, leading to many conspiracy theories…the series, which will revolve around a family in the area, is played out against the Cold War. It will feature dual timelines, one during the time of the sightings in 1980 and one in 2020, the anniversary of the event.”

Joe Ahearne wrote the screenplay for the eight part mini-series.

Designated Survivor (Netflix)

Elena Tovar has been cast as Isabel, “the White House Director of Social Innovation.”

This actress joins already cast Anthony Edwards and Julie White.

Designated Survivor: Season 3’s plot synopsis: “In season 3 of Designated Survivor, produced by eOne, President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) will face a political reality… campaigning. What does it take to make a leader? What price will he be willing to pay? This season will explore today’s world of campaigning, smear tactics, debates, campaign finance and “fake news.” Democracy, as we know it, will hang in the balance.”

The Man in the High Castle (Amazon Prime)

David Sakurai has been cast as Colonel Saito, “a long-serving Japanese Army officer and Aide da Camp to General Yamori. He has seen service in China the Pacific and Southeast Asia. He came to the JPS as part of Yamori’s personal detachment. He is a hardliner and fiercely loyal to his general. When Yamori is arrested by Kido, Saito takes it on himself to surround the Kempeitai headquarters and demand his general’s release.”

Carter MacIntyre has been cast as Russ Gilmore, “a new friend of Juliana [Crain]’s.

Bruce Locke has been cast as Governor General Yamori, “the new leader of the JPS. He is a hard line realist, determined to maintain Japan’s forceful presence in America. He’s coming into conflict with the Crown Princess and Admiral Inokuchi who are daring to contemplate withdrawal from the territory, something Governor General Yamori would rather die than allow to happen. This conflict will drive a wedge between the Emperor and the army.”

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

Ashleigh LaThrop has been cast as OfMatthew, described as a devoted Handmaid whose fidelity to Gilead causes friction amongst her peers.

The 100 (The CW)

Ashleigh LaThrop has been cast in an unspecified role in the sixth season.

The Kominsky Method (Netflix)

Ashleigh LaThrop has been cast as Breana, a student in Kominsky’s acting class.

Gotham (Fox)

Jaime Murray has been casts as Theresa Walker, “Jim Gordon’s (Ben McKenzie) principal nemesis in the season, who comes to Gotham harboring a dark secret about her past.”

Leave your thoughts on this Pennyworth, Mrs. America, Game of Thrones Prequel Pilot, and other TV Casting (via Variety, Deadline) below in the comments section. Readers seeking more TV show news can visit our TV Show News Page, our TV Show News Google+ Page, and our TV Show News Facebook. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook.

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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