Though “Boardwalk Empire” has only one season left in the tank, hopefully, fans of the show can find solace in the fact that the Martin Scorsese/Terence Winter rock ‘n’ roll pilot for HBO is still moving forward. Olivia Wilde and Juno Temple have most recently joined the cast as the pilot is set to begin production this summer.
The untitled drama takes place in the music industry of the 1970s where sex and drugs run rampant and it will center on Bobby Cannavale’s character, Richie Finestra, a New York-based record executive who’s in the midst of resurrecting his label with the hopes of being able to find the next sound. Wilde will play Richie’s wife, Devon, a former actress-model who gets back in touch with her old bohemian life as Richie’s struggles affect their family. Meanwhile, Juno Temple is set to play Jamie Vine, an ambitious assistant in the A&R department at American Century Records. Terence Winter has written the script for the pilot and Martin Scorsese will direct. They will also produce alongside Mick Jagger. [Deadline/Variety]
Tom Hardy’s film career may still be on the rise, but it looks like the actor is not prepared to leave the small screen behind. He has recently teamed up with his father, who happens to be a writer, on a new detective show called “Bluebell” which Edward and Tom Hardy have written together. Plot details surrounding “Bluebell” appear to be scarce, but Hardy is on board to play the lead role. The UK channel, Sky Atlantic, has recently commissioned the series and it plans to air in 2015. [Hollywood]
Lastly, as Netflix continues to find success with their original programming, Amazon has most recently picked up four new series after allowing audiences to watch their pilots over the past few weeks. So, we’ll be seeing full seasons of Roman Coppola’s “Mozart in the Jungle,” Jill Soloway’s “Transparent,” Chris Carter’s “The After,” and Michael Connelly’s “Bosch.” The other pilot, “The Rebels,” has unfortunately been left behind.
It should be interesting to see how each of these shows manage to find success on Amazon’s streaming service; they definitely do not lack in star power. While “Bosch” features longtime character actor Titus Welliver in the title role, “Transparent” boasts a cast that includes Jeffrey Tambor, Gaby Hoffman, Jay Duplass, and Rob Huebel. “The After” should also be an interesting prospect since it’s Chris Carter’s first show since “The X-Files” and then you have ‘Mozart’ which stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Malcolm McDowell. Can any of them compete with “House of Cards” or “Orange Is the New Black”? Only time will tell, but at the very least, they all should be worth checking out. [AvClub]
