TV Casting: THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT, THE RIGHT STUFF, David Oyelowo in THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING, & More

TV Show Casting for The Flight Attendant, The Right Stuff, The President is Missing, and More

The Flight Attendant, The Right Stuff, The President is Missing, and other TV productions have made recent TV show casting, TV movie casting, and TV directing news. These shows and movies air on: Showtime, ABC, National Geographic, and HBO Max. Beware of spoilers in these casting announcements.

Showtime

The President is Missing

SHOWTIME has announced that Emmy and Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo (Selma) will play the title role in the drama series THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING. The network has ordered a pilot, which is currently in pre-production and scheduled to shoot in 2020. Academy Award® winner Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects), Anthony Peckham (Invictus), Heather McQuarrie and Oyelowo will executive produce the series. Peckham is writing the adaptation. The announcement was made today by Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, Presidents of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.

In THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING, a powerless and politically aimless Vice President (Oyelowo) unexpectedly becomes President halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by both friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand. The series is based on the bestselling novel by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson, which was the No. 1 novel of 2018 and has sold over 2.3 million copies in North America alone.

“David brings such enormous depth, sensitivity and power to every role he plays,” said Levine. “Having him as our lead ensures that our series will have the exhilarating suspense of a political thriller along with the juicy complexity of a character drama.”

THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING is executive produced by Christopher McQuarrie and Heather McQuarrie and co-executive produced by Jillian Share for Invisible Ink Productions. Anthony Peckham, Bill Clinton, James Patterson, Bill Robinson, Leopoldo Gout and David Oyelowo will also executive produce.

Ripley

SHOWTIME has ordered the first eight-episode season of the ongoing drama series RIPLEY, based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling quintet of Tom Ripley novels. BAFTA® Award winner Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Sherlock) will star in the title role of Tom Ripley. Oscar and Golden Globe® winner and Emmy® nominee Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List, The Night Of) will write and direct the entire first season. The announcement was made today by Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, Presidents of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.

In the series, Tom Ripley, a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder.

“We are so thrilled to have the supremely talented filmmaker, Steve Zaillian, adapt the singular saga of Tom Ripley from Patricia Highsmith’s novels as an ongoing series for SHOWTIME,” said Levine. “With Andrew Scott, whose charisma knows no bounds, inhabiting the iconic lead role, we feel confident that this will be a special one.”

RIPLEY is co-produced by SHOWTIME and Endemol Shine North America in association with Entertainment 360 and FILMRIGHTS. Executive producers are Steven Zaillian, Garrett Basch, Guymon Casady, Ben Forkner, Sharon Levy and Philipp Keel of Diogenes. Scott will serve as a producer on the series.

ABC

The Little Mermaid Live!

Amber Riley has been cast as the emcee of the hybrid musical.

This actress joins already cast: Auli’i Cravalho, Queen Latifah, Shaggy, Graham Phillips, and John Stamos.

The Little Mermaid Live!‘s plot synopsis: “The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live! will feature live musical performances interwoven into the broadcast of the original feature film. The hybrid format will combine sets and costumes created for the special with music from the original animated film and the Tony-winning Broadway stage version, composed by eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken.”

The Little Mermaid Live! will air on ABC on November 5, 2019 at 8 pm.

National Geographic

The Right Stuff

Kaley Ronayne has been cast as Dee O’Hara, “a nurse for the Mercury Seven. Unlike the NASA doctors, who are nervous and star-struck around astronauts, Dee is unaffected by the instant celebrity of the seven men. Dedicated to her work and integral in building the astronaut medical wing at Cape Canaveral, Dee ultimately strikes up an unlikely friendship with the enigmatic Alan Shepard (Jake McDorman).”

This actress joins already cast: Jake McDorman, Patrick J. Adams, Colin O’Donoghue, Aaron Staton, Michael Trotter, Micah Stock, and James Lafferty.

HBO Max

The Flight Attendant

Colin Woodell has been cast as Buckley, “an out of work actor and “whisky connoisseur,” whose boozy charm & go with the flow attitude is very attractive to Cassie.”

This actor joins already cast Kaley Cuoco.

The Flight Attendant‘s plot synopsis: based on the book by Chris Bohjalian, “The Flight Attendant is a terrifying story of how an entire life can change in one night. Cassie (Cuoco), a flight attendant, wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man – and no idea what happened.”

Steve Yockey wrote the screenplays for this TV series.

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