David O. Russell Drops ABC Drama, Key & Peele Join ‘Fargo’ Series And More

Well, this might be disappointing to some. It was only one month ago when we heard that David O. Russell would be teaming up alongside “Erin Brockovich” screenwriter Susannah Grant for an ABC drama, tentatively titled “The Club.” Despite the fact that the show was already given a 13-episode order, it looks like David O. Russell will be dropping out of the project.

While “The Club” will still move forward with Grant, the Oscar-nominated director appears to have had cold feet as the show gets closer to becoming a reality. He recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter where he confirmed just as much: “I was in delusion that I could do both [movies and television]. It was an illusion. I woke up and said, ‘What am I going to do, stop making feature films? Are you crazy?’ This is the height of my work right now. I’m not going to stop that.” And considering the amount of success Russell has achieved in recent years, you can’t blame him for wanting to continue to strike while the iron’s hot. [THR]

Fans of “Game of Thrones,” and more specifically, fans of Peter Dinklage should rejoice upon learning the actor will have another awesome gig once “Game of Thrones” is over. He will star in the HBO pilot, “The Beasts of Valhalla,” which is based on the series of novels by George C. Chesbro. Dinklage would play dwarf detective Dr. Robert Frederickson who, after investigating the death of his nephew, “discovers an insane genius who is performing bizarre experiments with DNA.” The pilot will be penned by Justin Monjo, who describes it as “grounded sci-fi.” The show will be produced by Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films and is expected to start shooting in 2016 (after Dinklage wraps ‘Thrones’). [Inside Film]

After seeing Octavia Spencer get involved with a TV drama on Fox, it looks like “The Help” co-star Viola Davis wants in on the small screen action as well. She will star in the upcoming ABC drama pilot “How To Get Away With Murder.” Davis plays a criminal defense professor who gets entangled in a murder plot, along with her students, which could forever change their lives. The pilot was penned by Peter Nowalk (“Grey’s Anatomy”). Hopefully, in an era where TV legal dramas are a dime a dozen, “How To Get Away With Murder” can somehow manage to stand out from the pack. [Deadline]

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele continue to be hot commodities. The third season of “Key & Peele” finished airing on Comedy Central last December and the network has already ordered a fourth. The comedy duo are also working on a movie with Judd Apatow for Universal Pictures. Now, they look to stretch their acting chops by appearing in the FX series “Fargo” in a four-episode arc. The show, of course, is based on the 1996 Coen brothers film and Key and Peele will play FBI detectives who are obsessed with finding a ruthless con artist (Billy Bob Thonrton) after a violent run-in with him. Get a taste of what’s coming in a new teaser for the show below—it debuts on April 15th. [Deadline]