Norma Desmond plans a new type of “return” (one decidedly more macabre), a New York theatre company earns accolades for its documentary, and more in the latest roundup of news from the TV industry.
From Sunset Boulevard to Sea Oak
Tony winner Glenn Close, currently on Broadway in her return to Sunset Boulevard, has been tapped for an Amazon comedy pilot, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Tony and Emmy winner will headline Sea Oak, which is billed as a zombie drama-meets-family revenge comedy. The potential series, written by George Saunders, follows Aunt Bernie (Close), who somehow revives herself after dying in a home invasion to wreak havoc on the remaining members of her family and build the life she didn’t get her first time around. Affiliated Pictures’ Jonathan Krauss executive produces alongside Lael Smith and Keir McFarlane.
American Crime Story Shakeup
American Crime Story has switched the order of its second and third seasons. The Ryan Murphy anthology series is slated to return in early 2018 with its Versace installment, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Variety reports. This replaces the Katrina: American Crime Story season, which will now air following Versace. The cast includes Edgar Ramirez as Gianni Versace, Broadway alum Darren Criss as Cunanan, Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace, and Ricky Martin as Antonio D’Amico. The cast of Katrina includes Tony winner Matthew Broderick and Annette Bening.
Read: MATTHEW BRODERICK JOINS KATRINA: AMERICAN CRIME STORY
Roundabout Honored on the Small Screen
The 22-minute documentary film A Roundabout Road to Broadway, which captured the creative forces behind the New York institution that produces work both on and Off-Broadway, was honored with four major creative awards in recent months: the AVA Digital Awards, the Telly Awards, the Hermes Creative Awards, and the Creative International Awards. Celebrating the theatre company’s 50th anniversary, the film includes interviews with artists including Alec Baldwin, Laura Benanti, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jane Krakowski, Audra McDonald, Dame Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, and more. Watch the special, which first aired on NBC 4 New York in February 2016, below.
UKS Plans a Return
Hot off its season three premiere, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has been renewed for a fourth season on Netflix. The Ellie Kemper-led comedy, which shoots in New York, features several Broadway favorites, including Tony winner Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess, and Carol Kane. Watch Burgess (as Titus Andromedon) channel his inner Beyoncé in a music video from the past season below.
