Back when Amazon first started producing its own “TV” shows, it was all about recruiting interweb newbs. Giving ’em a chance to get into the biz and learn the ropes. Then came TRANSPARENT and its Emmy and now, well, looks like the welcome mat’s been yanked:
Amazon Confirms 6 Pilots From
Shane Black, Sacha Baron Cohen, Tig Notaro & Louis CK, Others
by Nellie Andreeva
Amazon Studios, coming off its first Emmy wins for Transparent, once again waited for its pilots to be fully cast and in various stages of production to announce them. Last week, the streaming service officially unveiled its lineup of 6 fall 2015 pilots: WesternEdge, from Shane Black and Fred Dekker, starring Max Martini, Ryan Kwanten and Yvonne Strahovski; the 1969 newsroom-set Good Girls Revolt, starring Genevieve Angelson, Chris Diamantopoulos and Jim Belushi; Highston, a comedy about a 19-year old (Lewis Pullman) produced by Sacha Baron Cohen and co-starring Mary Lynn Rajskub and Chris Parnell, with Shaq and Flea playing themselves; Tig Notaro/Diablo Cody/Louis CK’s dark comedy One Mississippi; political thriller Patriot, written and directed by Steven Conrad and co-starring Terry O’Quinn; and Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald bio-series Z starring Christina Ricci, directed by Tim Blake Nelson. Not included is David E. Kelley’s legal drama Trial starring Billy Bob Thornton, which is expected to go straight to series. Here are detailed descriptions of Amazon’s six newly announced pilots with full casting information:
Edge
Based on George G. Gilman’s best-selling book series of the same name, which has been described as “the most violent western in print,” Edge showcases the sly, raw power of the western genre. Set in 1868, Max Martini (Pacific Rim, Captain Phillips) stars as Josiah ‘Edge’ Hedges—a Union officer turned cowboy, who prowls the post-Civil War American West doling out his own peculiar (and savage) brand of justice. When we meet Edge in the pilot, his mission is personal and his vengeance hath no fury. Edge also stars Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) as Merritt Harknett, and Yvonne Strahovski (The Astronaut Wives Club, Chuck) as Beth. Edge was developed by Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3) and Fred Dekker (Tales from the Crypt, Star Trek: Enterprise), teleplay by Dekker and Black, is directed by Black, and executive produced by Black, Dekker, Barry Josephson (Bones, Turn: Washington Spies), and David Greenblatt (Battle Los Angeles).
Good Girls Revolt
In 1969, while a culturalrevolution with a soundtrack to match swept through the free world, there was still one place that refused to change with the times: newsrooms.Good Girls Revolt follows a group of young female researchers at “News of the Week,” who simply ask to be treated fairly. Their revolutionary request will spark convulsive changes and upend marriages, careers, sex lives, love lives, and friendships. Good Girls Revolt stars Genevieve Angelson (Backstrom) as Patti, Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect) as Jane, Erin Darke (We Need to Talk About Kevin) as Cindy, Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley) as Finn, Hunter Parrish (Weeds) as Doug, Jim Belushi (Show Me a Hero) as Wick McFadden, Joy Bryant (Parenthood) as Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Grace Gummer as Nora Ephron. A co-production with TriStar Television, Good Girls Revolt is written and created by Dana Calvo (Made in Jersey), directed by Liza Johnson (Return), and executive produced by Calvo, Lynda Obst (Interstellar), Darlene Hunt (The Big C),Don Kurt (Justified) and Jeff Okin (Dark Skies, Stanley Park). The pilot is inspired by the landmark sexual discrimination cases chronicled in Lynn Povich’s book, The Good Girls Revolt….