Advice & Inspiration:

1. Start the month with a little April Fools fun (watch out for pranksters)!
2. Awards season came to a dazzling conclusion at the 2024 Oscars! We know – we actors don’t do it for the awards, but the pure passion for our craft. That doesn’t mean we can’t reap the benefits of all the best acceptance speeches here.
3. Casting roundtable! Watch esteemed Casting Directors Susanne Scheel (Past Lives) Lucy Bevan (Barbie) Allison Jones (Barbie) and Jennifer Euston (American Fiction) share insight from their careers in a SAG-AFTRA Foundation talk.
4. Angela Bassett AND Oprah did the thing. Need we say more? Tune in to their empowering chat on Oprah’s Super Soul podcast.
5. Switching things up and throwing a little American Idol moment in here. Watch for a reminder that going into auditions heart-first is always a recipe for success.
6. I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive inside the brilliant brain of Oscar-winner Bradley Cooper during a SAG-AFTRA career retrospective.
6. From retrospective to rewatch! Plop on the couch with Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway as she waltzes down her iconic lane of performances.
7. Tony-winning performer J. Harrison Ghee reads the gospel on staying true to yourself as a performer and so much more on The Art of Kindness podcast.
8. Read of the month: The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better by Will Storr.
9. This month’s Instagram spotlight goes to @broadwaypodcastnetwork. Sourcing from its wide library of podcasts, BPN offers nonstop content for theatre kings, queens and everyone in between.

What to Watch:

10. Coming-of-age love story Música puts Camila Mendes opposite her real-life boyfriend Rudy Mancuso on April 4 via Amazon Prime.
11. Murder and mayhem! Dakota Fanning and Andrew Scott lead the new Netflix series Ripley, based on the iconic Patricia Highsmith’s crime novel The Talented Mr. Ripley on April 4 via Netflix.
12. Oscar-winner Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine channel a wild mommy-son dynamic in the period drama Mary & George on April 5 via Starz.
13. Unleash the horror with Bill Nighy and Ralph Ineson in the chilling horror film The First Omen, which creeps into theaters on April 5.
14. Monkey Man sees Oscar-nominee Dev Patel in a gorilla mask taking out the city’s most sinister criminals. The action flick swings into theaters on April 5.
15. Hilarious obscenities – need we say more? Ok fine – Olivia Coleman and Jessie Buckley. Prepare to LOL at Wicked Little Letters. In theaters on April 5.
16. Nicolas Cage plays a father fighting to survive at the end of the world with his twin teenage sons in Arcadian. In theaters on April 12.
17. Witness America fractured in Civil War, a gripping dystopian thriller starring Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny. In theaters April 12.
18. It may sound like a record title, but The Greatest Hits is a full-on rom-com, starring David Corenswet and Lucy Boynton. Hulu, April 12.
19. Based on the book of the same name, Under the Bridge is your next true crime obsession starring Oscar-nominee Lily Gladstone on April 17 via Hulu.
20. Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare blasts Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson and Eiza González into action in this heavily fictionalized version of Operation Postmaster. Storming into theaters on April 19.
21. Lace up your running shoes! Stranger Things alumni Sean Astin and Matthew Modine unite for Hard Miles. The inspiring sports drama cycles into theaters April 19.
22. Zendaya serves up what’s poised to be a career-turning performance in the tennis drama Challengers. In theaters April 26.
23. Elizabeth Moss wields many tools in her impressive acting kit as an international spy at the center of The Veil. FX, April 30.

Wellness Activities:

24. April actor’s affirmation: “April is a time for creative growth. I embrace new challenges and discover unexpected depths within myself as an artist.”
25. April 22 is Earth Day! Opt to go for a walk or bike ride instead of driving, shop local, recycle… there are many ways to celebrate.
26. SAG-AFTRA members specifically can check out the union’s “Go Green” initiative.
27. Spring clean your acting materials! Take stock of your headshots, resumes, website and all other materials and see if you align with the way you’re presenting yourself.

Live/ Virtual Events:

28. April brims with starry Broadway opening nights. From Alicia Key’s brainchild Hell’s Kitchen to the highly-anticipated Eddie Redmayne-led revival of Cabaret, the world’s greatest stages are set to dazzle even brighter.
29. The Writers Guild of America will honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, news, radio, and promotional categories with their awards on April 14.
30. Did you know that the SAG-AFTRA Foundation offers phenomenal free programming throughout the year? Check out the abundance of offerings!

Casting directors use Casting Networks every day to discover people like you. Sign up or log in today to get one step closer to your next role.

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The post 30 Activities for Every Day in April first appeared on Casting Networks.

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Movies

Finestkind

The latest from Brian Helgeland is inspired by his own life. The auteur shared during a Toronto International Film Festival panel that he comes from a family of fishermen and his early years in Massachusetts inspired the film.

“All the characters are based on someone I knew, someone I worked with, grew up with, [or] fished with,” Helgeland said. “I wrote this script about 30 years ago — it’s the movie I could never get made.”

But he did bring the film to fruition, directing it in addition to penning its screenplay. Finestkind follows two half-brothers (Ben Foster and Toby Wallace) who reunite as adults after being raised separately.

The film takes place in the world of commercial fishing. After finding themselves in desperate circumstances, the siblings get involved with a violent Boston crime gang. A young woman (Jenna Ortega) gets caught in the middle, and the film’s trailer teases plenty of intrigue surrounding that particular role. It also shows Tommy Lee Jones as the central father of the film.

You can catch his performance alongside the work of Foster, Wallace and Ortega when Finestkind premieres on Paramount+ come December 15.

The Family Plan

If you’ve been looking for a Mark Wahlberg action-comedy that also happens to be centered on family, this one’s for you.

The Family Plan tells the story of Dan (Wahlberg), a devoted husband, father of three and thriving car salesman who loves his quiet suburban life. Little does his family know that Dan used to be an elite government assassin who neutralized major world threats.

When enemies from his past come calling, the suburbanite takes his unsuspecting wife (Michelle Monaghan) and kids on a “getaway” in the form of a cross-country road trip to Las Vegas. There, he must protect his family while trying to avoid his true identity being revealed.

Wahlberg and Monaghan deliver great performances, but you’ll also want to keep an eye out for names like Maggie Q and Ciarán Hinds when The Family Plan drops on Netflix come December 15.

Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire

We’re not saying that Zack Snyder’s upcoming intergalactic feature is going to be the Star Wars of our generation, but we’re not saying it isn’t (adding to that thought, there’s already a built-in part two coming your way next year).

“This movie — for me — existed, elementally, for 20 years,” Snyder said of the first installment of Rebel Moon. With such a long time in the making and a multi-planet setting, it’s no wonder the film is classified as an epic.

Rebel Moon is also a sci-fi fantasy adventure that takes place in a new universe far, far away. Let’s start with the peaceful moon colony of Veldt. Citizens there are forced to surrender their harvest to the military group of the Motherworld, a place governed by the ruthless Imperium. A mysterious young woman living in Veldt, however, begins a high-stakes interplanetary mission of bringing together warriors from across the galaxy to help deliver them from evil.

Sofia Boutella plays said lead in the film, and Snyder shared insight into the actor’s casting story during an interview with Tudum. “I pitched her from the beginning,” he noted. “That happens to me with casting. I’ll see someone and be like, ‘I’m going to put them in a movie.’”

Including Boutella, the star-studded Rebel Moon cast also includes names that range from Michiel Huisman to Charlie Hunnam to Djimon Hounsou. You can also keep an ear out for Anthony Hopkins voicing a robot knight called “Jimmy” when the interstellar feature drops on Netflix come December 22.

Series

My Life with the Walter Boys

If you’re looking for a coming-of-age tale that’s a blend of Dawson’s Creek and Friday Night Lights — with hints of Party of Five and My So-Called Life — your search is over.

Series creator Melanie Halsall told Tudum that those were the TV references she used when first pitching My Life with the Walter Boys to Netflix.

The TV adaptation of Ali Novak’s novel of the same name stars Nikki Rodriguez as Jackie, a straight-A student who loses her family in a terrible accident when she’s 15 years old.

Still reeling from the tragedy, the teenager has to leave everything she knows in Manhattan to go live with her guardian in rural Colorado. Jackie has to adapt to living under one roof with said guardian — her mother’s best friend, Katherine Walter — and the rest of her family, which includes one husband and 10 children.

It wouldn’t be a teen drama without a good old-fashioned love triangle. Jackie eventually develops feelings for two very different Walter brothers and struggles to remain true to herself while navigating all the twists and turns of her new life.

In addition to taking in Rodriguez’s starring performance, you can also watch for Sarah Rafferty as Katherine as well as Ashby Gentry and Noah LaLonde as the central love interests. Catch all these names and more when My Life with the Walter Boys releases on Netflix come December 7.

Archie

Many are familiar with Cary Grant, a Hollywood star of yesteryear, but fewer know his given name of Archibald Leach.

The upcoming mini-series Archie tells the story of the man behind the stage name, the person behind the movie star persona. Jason Isaacs transforms into Grant for the biographical series, playing the middle-aged version of him, when the actor was already well-known.

You can catch Calam Lynch portraying the younger iteration of the role when the Hollywood legend was still just wannabe actor Archie Leach. Harriet Walter takes on the role of Grant’s mother Elsie Leach, and Laura Aikman plays his ex-wife Dyan Cannon.

U.S. audiences can take in all the performances and casting work that includes finding matches for old-time stars ranging from Audrey Hepburn to Grace Kelly when Archie drops on the streamer Britbox come December 7.

Extended Family

To round out our list, we’re giving you a classic multi-cam with Jon Cryer and Abigail Spencer starring as ex-spouses Jim and Julia, who have remained close friends and closely collaborative co-parents after their divorce.

The first-look teaser previews their unique set-up, in which the kids stay in one place and Jim and Julia take turns spending time with them there.

Donald Faison also stars as Trey, who throws a wrench in the family’s newfound status quo after he and Julia become engaged. The ex-spouses, their children and the new fiancé have to figure out how to navigate life together with the plethora of awkward situations that come their way.

You can also keep an eye out for Finn Sweeney and Sofia Capanna playing Jim and Julia’s kids when Extended Family makes its streaming debut on Peacock — the day after its NBC premiere — come December 24.

We may have started with a family drama and ended with a family comedy, but the diverse genres in between will allow you to close out 2023 with a varied watchlist of new films and series full of notable performances to take in.

Casting directors use Casting Networks every day to discover people like you. Sign up or log in today to get one step closer to your next role.

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Tiffany Little Canfield — The Gilded Age

It’s hard to cover the breadth and depth of Tiffany Little Canfield’s casting résumé. From this year’s live-action The Little Mermaid to Only Murders in the Building to This Is Us, she’s cast huge titles in film, as well as in streaming and network TV. And that doesn’t even touch on her extensive theater credits.

But when we sat down with Little Canfield, the casting director’s watchlist was also on the table. The majority of titles she shared at the time — of both the stage and the screen — weren’t connected to The Telsey Office. The Gilded Age, however, was handled by the New York branch of the casting company to which Little Canfield belongs. She didn’t work on the project, though, and got to experience the series like any other person screening it for the first time. “I was really anticipating its release, and I was not disappointed,” Little Canfield told us. “I’m a fan of everyone in the cast, and Carrie Coon is just incredible. It’s definitely one of those series that I’ll go back and watch again.”

We couldn’t agree more, considering the master class in acting offered by Coon and other stars of the 1880s New York City period drama, such as Cynthia Nixon, Christine Baranski, Denée Benton and Morgan Spector. So, whether you’re like Little Canfield and going in for a rewatch or you’ll be watching the inaugural season of the latest series from Julian Fellowes for the first time, The Gilded Age might just be what your watchlist needs. And should you fall into the latter category, be sure to catch up before the second season arrives this year, as promised by Max.

Leah Daniels-Butler — Schitt’s Creek

It’s hard to pick just a few titles from the casting career of Leah Daniels-Butler. You could go with hit series, such as All American and Empire, or mention recent features like The Perfect Find and The United States vs. Billie Holiday. And you definitely couldn’t leave off Lee Daniels’ The Butler or Precious. But outside of the casting director’s extensive work, the question of what she watches when off the clock also came up during our chat with Daniels-Butler. Along with a varied list of series she’d just screened at the time, the casting director mentioned Schitt’s Creek as one example of how she loves all genres.

The show is certainly a strong representation of the comedy genre, considering how in a record-breaking move, it swept up the 2020 Emmy Awards with its final season. That included comedy category wins for Catherine O’Hara as lead actress, Eugene Levy as lead actor, Daniel Levy as supporting actor and Annie Murphy as supporting actress. Should you be looking for a smart and feel-good show with 21-minute episodes that have all fully aired across the series’ six seasons, Schitt’s Creek is the pick for your watchlist. And if you’re interested in what went into casting the critically-acclaimed series, you can check out our chat with one of the show’s Emmy-winning casting directors.

Beverly Holloway — Succession, Billions

Beverly Holloway’s storied casting career includes feature titles like A Week Away and I Can Only Imagine, as well as series such as The Chosen. When we spoke with the casting director, though, we also wanted to hear about what she was watching outside of work. Amongst other series Holloway was enjoying at the time, she was also eagerly awaiting the next seasons of Showtime’s Billions and Max’s Succession. “I think the casting for the latter is interesting, out-of-the-box, and unexpected in so many ways,” she explained. “But it all works, and the performances are amazing.”

Succession has had a moment this year. The show — and its hotly-debated series finale — was already the talk of the town before it swept up a breathtaking 27 Emmy nominations for its last season. So with all the recent buzz around Succession, if you haven’t already considered the show for your watchlist, there may not be much more we can do for you.

But then there’s Billions, a series Succession has been steadily compared to over the years, with many a Reddit thread dedicated to determining which show is superior. The final season of Billions starts streaming on August 11, so if the end of Succession has left a Roy-family-sized hole in your life, do not despair. You can anticipate the upcoming seventh installment of another long-running show all about money and power. That includes taking in the performances from a stacked cast of Billions series regulars like Paul Giamatti, Corey Stoll, Maggie Siff, Damian Lewis, David Costabile, Asia Kate Dillon, Dola Rashad, Jeffrey DeMunn, Sakina Jaffrey, Daniel Breaker and Toney Goins.

Thanks to the watchlist items shared here, you can consider some titles enjoyed by top casting directors for your viewing pleasure — and perhaps, respite — during these strike times. And if you want to learn more about the people behind the TV picks — as well as their full responses to our “what-are-you-watching” query — you can find all three Get to Know the Casting Director interviews with Little Canfield, Daniels-Butler and Holloway on Casting Networks News.

Looking to get your big break? Sign up or login to Casting Networks and land your next acting role today!

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The post Strike Times: Our Guide to a Casting Director-Inspired Watchlist, Part II first appeared on Casting Networks.

The post Strike Times: Our Guide to a Casting Director-Inspired Watchlist, Part II appeared first on Casting Networks.

Love in Taipei

We couldn’t decide between two coming-of-age films for this month’s list, so we’re giving you both. The onscreen adaptation of Abigail Hing Wen’s New York Times bestselling novel, Loveboat, Taipei, is a far cry from our teen Fight Club pick further down this list. Love in Taipei centers on Ever Wong (Ashley Liao), a young American woman whose parents send her to the capital of Taiwan for a cultural immersion program. Once there, she soon realizes that the expected summer full of homework and history lessons is nowhere near the free-for-all she experiences, which both students and locals call “Loveboat.”

With such a moniker, it may come as no surprise that Ever finds herself caught between two wildly different boys vying for her attention. Ross Butler and Nico Hiraga play said love interests, alongside Chelsea Zhang as Ever’s friend Sophie. You can watch this tale of young romance unfold — against the backdrop of a summer spent defying expectations — when Love in Taipei premieres on Paramount+ come August 10.

Heart of Stone

In an upcoming Netflix blockbuster, Gal Gadot gets back to the business of kicking some serious tail. But the action star told Tudum that the operative she plays in Heart of Stone should come off more grounded than her superhero goddess role in Wonder Woman or sleek heist mastermind character in Red Notice.

In the upcoming thriller, Gadot’s Rachel Stone is a member of the Charter, a group of elite secret agents who remain free of national allegiances so they can pursue world order. The key to their lofty aspiration is a general A.I. called the Heart, which can essentially do anything it’s asked and immediately become a master of it, to boot. Such a powerful A.I. tool is used by the Charter for good — it allows the operatives to look at any given situation and plan the best course of action — but is also sought by someone plotting global instability (the threat of misused A.I. becoming a detriment to humanity? You might just call this one a timely pick on our part).

Be sure to check out Alia Bhatt’s performance as the film’s villain, as well as Jamie Dornan as the MI6 counterpart to Gadot’s Stone when the feature debuts on Netflix come August 11. You can take in the Heart of Stone trailer in the meantime, which teases more names you can find in the film, such as Sophie Okonedo, Matthias Schweighöfer, Jing Lusi, and Paul Ready.

Miguel Wants to Fight

And here’s our second coming-of-age tale, one that additionally possesses some serious Scott Pilgrim vs. the World vibes. In Miguel Wants to Fight, the titular high school junior (played by Tyler Dean Flores) has never engaged in a bonafide brawl, even though fisticuffs are a normal part of his neighborhood. But when a combination of events turns his life upside down, Miguel’s new goal becomes changing the status of his nonexistent fight history.

With the help of his three best friends — the quick-to-speak Srini (Suraj Partha), the rowdy Cass (Imani Lewis), and the stolid David (Christian Vunipola) — the high-schooler begins a series of attempts to engage in his first-ever fight. The recently-dropped trailer for the upcoming comedy feature displays a unique stylization of its fight scenes, which may just bring to mind the aforementioned 2010 film by Edgar Wright.

The Miguel Wants to Fight preview teases some additional talent — outside of its young stars already named — that includes actors like Dascha Polanco, Raúl Castillo, and Andrea Navedo. You can catch all these performances and more when the Hulu Original premieres on the streamer come August 16.

From a coming-of-age romance to a Fight Club-meets-Scott Pilgrim vs. the World action comedy, you can enter into the new month — and whatever it holds for our industry, at large — with a stacked watchlist of movies premiering in August full of noteworthy performances to take in.

Looking to get your big break? Sign up or login to Casting Networks and land your next acting role today!

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The Out-Laws

If you’ve ever wanted to see an action version of Meet the Parents, this one’s for you. Kicking off our July picks is an action comedy with a star-studded cast whose members remain close off-camera. According to an interview with Tudum, stars Adam Devine and Nina Dobrev are friends in real life. “He’s just such a great guy and maybe my favorite co-star that I’ve ever worked with,” Dobrev said of her co-star.

In The Out-Laws, the two play Owen (Devine) and Parker (Dobrev), who deal with some unforeseen obstacles during the week of their wedding. The bank that Owen manages is robbed by an infamous outlaw duo called the Ghost Bandits, and he begins to suspect they’re none other than Parker’s parents, Billy and Lilly McDermott, whom he’s just met for the first time. Playing those impending in-laws are screen icons Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin, and you can enjoy watching them join forces with Devine’s bumbling and fumbling character as they try to rescue Parker after she’s kidnapped. Also keep an eye out for a strong supporting cast that includes names like Richard Kind, Julie Hagerty, Lil Rel Howery, Poorna Jagannathan, Michael Rooker and Blake Anderson when The Out-Laws drops on Netflix come July 7.

They Cloned Tyrone

Interested in seeing an established writer’s feature directorial debut that Netflix calls a “pulpy mystery caper?” Look no further.

In Juel Taylor’s They Cloned Tyrone, John Boyega stars as a drug dealer named Fontaine who uncovers that the government has been secretly conducting experiments on people in his neighborhood. Fontaine forms an unlikely trio with a pimp called Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx) and a sex worker named Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) in order to take down the conspiracy and save his city. As if the A-list talent of Boyega, Foxx and Parris weren’t enough, the film also boasts some big names amongst its supporting roles, which includes Kiefer Sutherland and David Alan Grier. You can catch all these performances and more when They Cloned Tyrone arrives on Netflix on July 21.

The Beanie Bubble

Whether you’re someone who experienced the Beanie Baby explosion of the ‘90s or it took place before you were born, you can enjoy a film inspired by one of the largest speculative crazes that tore through American culture at the time.

Some may associate the brand with Ty Warner, whose first name is displayed on the heart-shaped tag attached to each bean-filled plush animal. But Apple TV+ Press states that its fact-based dramedy celebrates the women “whose strength and good instincts shaped and amplified the phenomenon.” The film’s cast list boasts some powerhouse female actors to carry out such a logline, including Elizabeth Banks, Geraldine Viswanathan and Sarah Snook. In addition, you can catch Zach Galifianakis in a transformative performance as Warner when The Beanie Bubble premieres on Apple TV+ come July 28.

From an action comedy to a pulpy mystery to a true-life dramedy, you can enter into the new month ready for the streaming premieres of three standout new movies full of noteworthy performances to take in.

Looking to get your big break? Sign up or login to Casting Networks and land your next acting role today!

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The post 3 New Movies Streaming in July 2023 You Won’t Want to Miss appeared first on Casting Networks.

Survival of the Thickest

Comedian Michelle Buteau is behind the upcoming Netflix series that’s based on her memoir of the same name. Survival of the Thickest centers on Mavis (Buteau), an assistant fashion stylist in Manhattan looking to achieve lead stylist status. She’s working toward her goal with the help of her photographer boyfriend Jacque (Taylor Selé) until she stumbles upon him in bed with another woman. Their ensuing breakup sees Mavis leaving their luxury Manhattan apartment for a tiny place in Brooklyn that comes with an oddball roommate. She moves forward despite the setbacks with the help of her best friends, Khalil (Tone Bell) and Marley (Tasha Smith), as she works to make the fashion industry a more size-inclusive place.

Besides those cast members already noted, you can also keep an eye out for names like Liza Treyger, Marouane Zotti, Anissa Felix, Garcelle Beauvais and Anthony Michael Lopez when Survival of the Thickest releases on Netflix come July 13.

Special Ops: Lioness

Taylor Sheridan appears to be slowly taking over Paramount+’s original programming, and we’re not mad about it. The Academy Award-nominee’s upcoming espionage thriller series for the streamer boasts a cast that also includes two Oscar winners: Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman. And as if that weren’t enough A-list talent, Zoe Saldaña can also be seen in the upcoming show based on a real-life US Military program. Special Ops: Lioness follows Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira) a young Marine who joins the Lioness Engagement Team and operates undercover alongside Joe (Saldaña) as the CIA attempts to thwart the next 9/11.

Besides the aforementioned stacked roster of talent, you can also keep an eye out for the Emmy-nominated Michael Kelly when Special Ops: Lioness premieres on Paramount+ come July 23.

Twisted Metal

It may be hard to fill the void that the season one finale of The Last of Us left when it comes to TV adaptations of video games, but Twisted Metal is throwing its hat in the ring. The upcoming action comedy series is based on the PlayStation games of the same name but with an original take by co-creators Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

Twisted Metal centers on John Doe (Anthony Mackie), an outsider who is given the chance of a better life. The catch? He just has to deliver a mysterious package across an area best described as a “post-apocalyptic wasteland.” There are plenty of dangers that come with such a task, which include facing a deranged clown named Sweet Tooth. Pro wrestler Joe Seanoa (aka Samoa Joe) provides the body and physical acting for said character while Will Arnett voices him. You can also take in starring performances from Stephanie Beatriz and Thomas Haden Church when the Peacock original premieres on the streamer come July 27.

From a comedy to an espionage thriller to an action series, we’ve given you a list of standout new shows streaming in July with plenty of noteworthy performances to take in. So, even if it feels like the first half of the year flew by, you can kick off the latter half with a fresh watchlist full of series you won’t want to miss.

Looking to get your big break? Sign up or login to Casting Networks and land your next acting role today!

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We pulled from the archives of our Get to Know the Casting Director series to share with you how some top casting directors answered our queries about what was on their watchlists. From The Andy Griffith Show to After Life to Mad Men, we’re sharing some of the series that made the cut, as well as noteworthy performances to watch in each. And all selected shows have completed their runs, so whether you’re looking to watch a full series with one season or eight seasons during these strike times, we’ve got you covered.

Victoria Thomas – Lovecraft Country, The Invaders, The Andy Griffith Show

When trying to sum up the extensive résumé of Victoria Thomas, you might highlight the 1997 Nicolas Cage-led action thriller Con Air or the 2003 Tom Cruise-starring epic The Last Samurai. More recent projects include titles such as F. Gary Gray’s bio-drama Straight Outta Compton and Quentin Tarantino’s star-studded period dramedy Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And then, of course, there’s the post-apocalyptic HBO Max series The Last of Us.

So when we asked Thomas what was on her own watchlist, it may come as no surprise that her picks could not be confined to one particular genre or period. At the time, she was watching the Emmy-winning, one-season wonder of a fantasy period horror entitled Lovecraft Country, starring Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors. And then there were older titles she mentioned, such as The Invaders, a sci-fi thriller series led by Roy Thinnes that ran on ABC for two seasons back in the ‘60s.

Thomas also made note of the performance given by a young Ron Howard during his eight-season run on CBS’ 1960s family comedy The Andy Griffith Show. “He was just really fantastic as a kid actor,” Thomas said of the thespian-turned-filmmaker. “Who he is naturally came off [on screen] — it’s really amazing.”

Sophie Holland – After Life

The UK-based casting director has some impressive titles to her name, and for Netflix alone, her credits include series like The Witcher and Shadow and Bone. When we last caught up with the casting director, Holland shared two shows that were on her watchlist at the time, including the Ricky Gervais-led Netflix dramedy After Life. “His [Gervais’] ability to observe human emotions is unbelievable,” the casting director told us. “It feels so raw, and I end up a sobbing mess on the floor after every episode. It’s incredibly well done, and I promise you’ll be hooked if you watch just one episode.”

The official Netflix summary details how After Life follows a newspaper writer (Gervais) struggling to come to terms with his wife’s death who takes on a gruff new persona to try and push away those trying to help. Should you be wanting a new show labeled by Netflix as “witty and “irreverent,” you can watch After Life from its first season to its final third season on the streamer. And if so, you can also take in performances from a strong supporting cast that includes names like Tom Basden, Tony Way, Diane Morgan, Kerry Godliman and Ashley Jensen.

Douglas Aibel – Mad Men, The Mary Tyler Moore Show

From M. Night Shyamalan’s Split to Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel to Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, the credits of Douglas Aibel run deep. But when Casting Networks virtually sat down with the casting director, we got a peek into his own watchlist. Besides keeping up with new shows and films coming out, Aibel revealed that he tries to rewatch at least one classic show with “brilliant” casting on a yearly basis.

The casting director noted AMC’s Mad Men as a good example. “It’s the epitome of a brilliantly conceptualized and realized drama,” he asserts. And Aibel suggested that The Mary Tyler Moore Show could possibly be the “best cast, acted, directed and written comedy series of all time.”

So whether you’re looking for seven seasons of a Jon Hamm-led drama — in which you can also see Elisabeth Moss shine, pre-The Handmaid’s Tale — or seven seasons of Mary Tyler Moore’s eponymous comedy series, the casting director’s classic picks have you covered.

If you want to learn more about the people behind the watchlists — as well as their full responses to our “what-are-you-watching” query — you can find all three Get to Know the Casting Director interviews with Thomas, Holland, and Aibel on Casting Networks News.

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The post Strike Times: Our Guide to a Casting Director-Inspired Watchlist appeared first on Casting Networks.

Series

The Crowded Room

If one heard that an upcoming thriller limited series was created by the writer of 2002’s Best Picture A Beautiful Mind, one might find their interest more than a little piqued. Now add the likes of Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried to the mix, and you have a bonafide new entry on your watchlist.

The Crowded Room takes place in New York City in 1979 and follows Danny Sullivan (Holland) after he’s arrested due to his involvement in a shooting. Seyfried plays Rya Goodwin, the person interrogating Danny, and the series’ trailer teases plenty of twists and turns along her quest for answers. You can also keep an eye out for names like Emmy Rossum and Sasha Lane, along with Jason Isaacs in a guest star role, when The Crowded Room premieres on Apple TV+ on June 9.

The Full Monty

Nearly 25 years after the release of the British hit comedy film about six unemployed steel workers who form a male striptease group comes its follow-up act. The upcoming limited series carries the same name as its predecessor and sees the original lead cast reprising their roles as Gaz (Robert Carlyle), Dave (Mark Addy), Guy (Hugo Speer), Horse (Paul Barber), Lomper (Steve Huison) and Gerald (Tom Wilkinson). A quarter of a century later, the original gang of working-class heroes will navigate the crumbling healthcare, education and employment sectors they’re facing in their post-industrial city in the North of England.

But the series’ official release promises plenty of laughs as the men face various challenges and explore the “brighter, sillier and more humane way forward where communal effort can still triumph over adversity.” The show also features roles not found in the 1997 feature thanks to the onscreen offspring of its original characters, including Talitha Wing as Gaz’s daughter Destiny. You can catch all the new performances when The Full Monty releases on Hulu come June 14.

Hijack

A new Idris Elba-led thriller? Say less. That is, unless you have a fear of flying, in which case Hijack may not be for you. The aptly-named show follows the journey of a hijacked plane en route to London. Elba plays Sam Nelson, a passenger that happens to be a business negotiator by trade and who attempts to save all the other souls in flight with his risky strategy for outsmarting the hijackers. Archie Panjabi co-stars as Zahra Gahfoor, a counterterrorism officer on the ground who becomes a part of the high-stakes investigation.

If the Hijack trailer is any indication, the upcoming series is sure to have you on the edge of your seat when it releases on Apple TV+ on June 28.

Films

Shooting Stars

Some actors may be intimidated by the idea of portraying a real person onscreen. And should said person still be alive, that can add pressure to deliver a good performance. Now, imagine the role involves portraying the real-life, all-time leading scorer of the NBA. That is the situation in which Marquis “Mookie” Cook found himself when he was cast to play LeBron James in the onscreen adaptation of the book that the athlete penned — with Buzz Bissinger — about his coming-of-age story.

The upcoming biopic takes a look at how James went from a quiet kid to a high-school basketball star labeled “The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated. Cook had no major acting credits to his name before landing such a high–profile part, but the real-life basketballer brings to the role his experience of getting to closely observe the all-star, thanks to his time playing on a travel basketball team with James’ son. Besides the newcomer, you can take in performances from names like Caleb McLaughlin, Wood Harris and Dermot Mulroney when Shooting Stars debuts on Peacock on June 2.

Flamin’ Hot

According to Searchlight Pictures, its upcoming feature Flamin’ Hot is the story of the Frito Lay janitor who “channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon.” It’s quite a tagline, and the film’s trailer teases plenty of laughs along the way of telling the inspiring tale of Richard Montañez.

Jesse Garcia leads as the innovative custodian in the feature directed by Eva Longoria. The stacked supporting cast of Flamin’ Hot also includes names like Annie Gonzalez, Emilio Rivera, Tony Shalhoub and Matt Walsh, all of whom can be seen when the film releases simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu come June 9.

The Perfect Find

Gabrielle Union may just be bringing back the rom-com with The Perfect Find. She stars in the upcoming feature as Jenna Jones, a former star fashion editor in New York who’s setting out to make a comeback after a painfully public breakup and career implosion. Her only issue? Jenna has a love affair with a younger man who turns out to be her new boss’s son.

The onscreen adaptation of Tia Williams’ 2016 novel of the same name has Union’s character facing the decision of whether or not she’ll put her career on the line for what could be the greatest love of her life. The Perfect Find trailer teases plenty of on-camera chemistry between Union and her romantic counterpart in the film, played by Keith Powers. Be sure to also watch out for Aisha Hinds, D.B. Woodside, Janet Hubert, La La Anthony and Gina Torres when the film drops on Netflix on June 23.

From a thriller series led by Tom Holland to a rom-com feature starring Gabrielle Union — and some varied picks in between — we’ve given you a list of standout new shows and movies streaming in June that you won’t want to miss. And whichever titles make it onto your watchlist, each one comes stacked with plenty of noteworthy performances to take in.

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The post New Movies and Series Streaming in June 2023 You Won’t Want to Miss appeared first on Casting Networks.

Series

A Small Light
Come May 1, you can take in an inspiring new limited series based on a true story. A Small Light follows a secretary in Amsterdam named Miep Gies whose boss Otto Frank — father to Anne Frank — asks for her help in trying to hide his family from the Nazis during World War II. With the help of her husband Jan, Miep watches over the Ottos, as well as the Pfeffer and van Pels families, for the next two years as they stayed hidden in a secret annex. She made countless sacrifices along the way and was ultimately the person who found and kept Anne’s diary so that it could be shared with the world as a testament to future generations.

Bel Powley plays Gies, and according to Disney+, her “fierce performance shakes the cobwebs off history.” The creators and executive producers of A Small Light, Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, also reinforced in a statement the value of telling how Miep and Jan risked their lives for others during the occupation. “We hope it leaves a lasting impact on viewers and helps to show the importance of discovering untold stories of the Holocaust and the lessons it continues to teach,” they asserted.

Besides taking in the work of Powley, you can also see Joe Cole’s performance as Jan, as well as Liev Schreiber’s portrayal of Otto. Billie Boullet undertakes the role of Anne while Ashley Brooke plays her older sister Margot. And Amira Casar is in the series as Edith Frank, their mother and the wife of Otto. You can take in all these portrayals of real-life people from not-too-long-ago history when A Small Light releases on Disney+ at the beginning of May.

Silo
If dystopian dramas are your thing and the season one wrap-up of The Last of Us left a hole in your watchlist, look no further than an upcoming Rebecca Ferguson-led series from Apple TV+. Silo is based on Hugh Howey’s novel series of the same name and is set in a future in which the last ten thousand people on earth live in a silo that runs one-mile deep underground. Living inside its walls supposedly keeps everyone safe from an outside world they are told is toxic and deadly. But none of its inhabitants really know when or why the silo was built, and those who want to know more face extreme consequences.

In the series’ trailer, a more-than-slightly creepy Tim Robbins can be heard uttering, “Some mysteries — they’re best left unsolved.” Ferguson’s character in the sci-fi drama, an engineer named Juliette, seeks answers after a loved one is murdered, only to stumble upon shocking secrets and the hidden truth of the silo. With a tagline like “if the lies don’t kill you, the truth will” and a star-studded cast that also boasts names such as Common, David Oyelowo and Rashida Jones, fans of any genre can anticipate the premiere of Silo on Apple TV+ come May 5.

Primo
Switching gears here, there’s an upcoming Freevee original that Shea Serrano created based on his own life growing up in San Antonio, Texas. The coming-of-age series is labeled a “new comedy about the drama of family” and centers on 16-year-old Rafa Gonzales, who’s being raised by his mother Drea and his five uncles. The show’s trailer has Rafa describing what it’s like to always have his uncles — or primos — around, which is apparently equivalent to being inside a cloud of bees. “Except, the bees are always cussing and punching at each other,” the teenager adds in the teaser.

According to the official Primo synopsis, Rafa, his mother, his primos, his friends and his crush will over the course of the series “all affect each other and help one another grow in ways they weren’t expecting.” Along with plenty of laughs along the way, the show’s trailer promises a stacked ensemble cast that includes Ignacio Diaz-Silverio as Rafa and Christina Vidal as Drea. Then there are the actors behind all the primos in Primo — Carlos Santos, Henri Esteve, Johnny Rey Diaz, Jonathan Medina, and Efrain Villa. You can catch them all when the upcoming comedy premieres on Amazon Freevee come May 19.

Films

The Mother
What can’t Jennifer Lopez do? (Besides age, that is.) Coming off the release earlier this year of the larger-than-life comedy flick in which she starred opposite Josh Duhamel, the A-lister can now be seen thrashing bad guys in the upcoming action-packed drama The Mother.

Lopez leads the film — in its titular role — as an assassin who comes out of hiding to save her young daughter Zoe (Lucy Paez), who she’s had to love from afar over the years for Zoe’s protection. But after said offspring is kidnapped, Lopez’s character goes full-throttle to save her child and take down the dangerous men she’s up against. The Mother trailer teases that “vengeance is a mother” and showcases a particularly emphatic headbutt that J-Lo delivers to Gael García Bernal. You can also catch names like Omari Hardwick, Edie Falco, and Joseph Fiennes when the film drops on Netflix come May 12, just in time for Mother’s Day.

White Men Can’t Jump
In a film/TV landscape saturated with remakes, this is one we can get behind. Sinqua Walls and rapper Jack Harlow — in his feature acting debut — take on the roles respectively portrayed in the 1992 original by Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. In the upcoming Hulu remake, Walls is Kamal, a basketball player whose once-promising career was derailed, and Harlow plays Jeremy, another baller whose future with the sport was put on pause. They decide to join forces and bring their streetball hustling to a tournament game in hopes of winning the $500,000 prize that they both could use. Besides taking in the performances from the film’s lead actors, you can also keep an eye out for Teyana Taylor, Laura Harrier, Vince Staples, Myles Bullock, and the late Lance Reddick when White Men Can’t Jump releases on Hulu on May 19.

F​​rom the impactful limited series A Small Light to the remade comedy feature White Men Can’t Jump — and some varied picks in between — this has been our list of new shows and movies streaming in May that you don’t want to miss. And whichever titles make it onto your watchlist, each one comes packed with plenty of noteworthy performances to enjoy.

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The post New Movies and Series Streaming in May 2023 You Won’t Want to Miss appeared first on Casting Networks.

April Films to Watch

On a Wing and a Prayer

If you have a fear of flying, this pick may not be for you. Or perhaps it is, should you want to face said fear with a based-on-a-true-story movie about a man who has to take over the controls of a private plane to save his family onboard after their pilot suffers a fatal heart attack. That is indeed the premise of the upcoming family feature On a Wing and a Prayer. Dennis Quaid stars as the real-life passenger-turned-pilot Doug White. Heather Graham portrays his wife Terri, who steps up to help co-pilot the plane in the film’s trailer. “It’s kind of everyone’s worst nightmare: that you’re on a plane and then the pilot dies and you just don’t know how to get down,” she told People. Jesse Metcalfe plays Kari Sorenson in the film, the experienced pilot who attempts to remotely instruct White on how to land the aircraft. Metcalfe calls the upcoming film a “nail-biter” that “keeps you on the edge of your seat,” and you can take in all the highs and lows of On a Wing and a Prayer when it releases on Prime Video on April 7.

Ghosted

The trailer for Apple TV+’s upcoming adventure comedy is giving us some serious Mr. & Mrs. Smith vibes. That is to say, Ana de Armas comes off as a kickass, capable spy a la Angelina Jolie’s Mrs. Smith from the 2005 film, and Chris Evans is basically Brad Pitt’s character if he were more a helpless damoiseau in distress. For reference, we hear Evans spit out, “I swallowed a rock” after he tumbles down the side of a mountain and face-plants hard in the Ghosted teaser. And yet, De Armas manages to remain calm and steady on her own two feet after the same slide down the mountainside. What is the setup for such a satisfying dynamic, you ask? Evans plays Cole, a salt-of-the-earth romantic who truly believes the reason Sadie (De Armas) stopped responding to his texts after their whirlwind romance is the fact she doesn’t have an international calling plan. So, he makes the big romantic gesture of traveling to London to surprise the woman who’s clearly ghosting him, only to discover she’s a secret agent. Cole becomes enmeshed in one of her missions, and together they embark on what Apple TV+ calls “an international adventure to save the world.” Such a romp is supported by other big names like Adrien Brody, Amy Sedaris, and Tim Blake Nelson. You can catch all these performances and more when Ghosted premieres on Apple TV+ come April 21.

The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die

Fans of The Last Kingdom, rejoice! The long-awaited feature film that follows the show’s 2022 finale is almost here. After originally debuting on BBC Two, the gritty period piece rose in popularity and was acquired by Netflix ahead of its third season. The Last Kingdom even landed fourteenth on Nielsen’s coveted list of most streamed original shows in 2022, so if you’ve been sleeping on the series, now’s your chance to catch up before its official conclusion with the upcoming feature. Seven Kings Must Die continues following Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon) and his band of loyal friends as they traverse a fractured kingdom after the death of King Edward (Timothy Innes) in hopes of finally uniting England. Fans of the show can expect to see lots of familiar faces, including Mark Rowely as Finan and Arnas Fedaravicius as Sihtric. You can keep an eye out for all these returning actors and more when Seven Kings Must Die drops on Netflix come April 14.

April Series to Watch

Jury Duty

Within a TV/film landscape of remakes and reboots comes a refreshingly new concept. Jury Duty is a docu-style comedy series that explores the inner workings of an American jury trial, primarily through the lens of a juror named Ronald Gladden. What the real-life solar contractor from San Diego, California doesn’t know is that the jury summons he received is fabricated, and the whole case is fake. Everyone besides Gladden is an actor — including James Marsden, who plays an alternate version of himself — and everything that happens in and out of the courtroom is carefully planned. “Jury Duty originated with a question: Was it possible to make a sitcom like The Office about a trial, populate it with brilliant comedic performers, and put a real person at the center of the show who doesn’t realize he’s surrounded by actors?” said executive producer Todd Schulman in a statement. You can see how the answer to that question came to fruition when Jury Duty premieres on Amazon’s Freevee come April 3, at which time you can also take in performances from an ensemble cast that includes names like Alan Barinholtz, Pramode Kumar, Evan Williams, Ishmel Sahid, and Cassandra Blair.

Tiny Beautiful Things

Cheryl Strayed executive produced the upcoming Hulu series that’s based on the book she wrote of the same name. And Tiny Beautiful Things showrunner Liz Tigelaar told Time that the lead character of the series, Clare (played by Kathryn Hahn in present day and Sarah Pidgeon in flashbacks), is an alternate-reality version of Strayed. Both the author/filmmaker and her main character married the wrong person at a young age, lost their mothers to cancer during college, and slipped into self-destruction. Tiny Beautiful Things centers on Clare’s journey to becoming a revered advice columnist — known as Sugar — amid her own life falling apart. Keep an eye out for Quentin Plair as Clare’s estranged husband Danny, Tanzyn Crawford as their daughter Rae, and Merritt Wever as Clare’s mother Frankie when Tiny Beautiful Things premieres on Hulu on April 7.

The Last Thing He Told Me

The upcoming Apple TV+ limited series proves that even the stars pitch themselves for projects. Jennifer Garner revealed in a featurette about the thriller that she wrote a letter to the filmmakers of The Last Thing He Told Me stating that she’d love the opportunity to play the lead character Hannah Hall. For her part, Laura Dave — who wrote the best-selling novel on which the series is based and adapted it for the screen alongside her husband Josh Singer — said that she can no longer imagine anyone else as the character. “Writing the book, Hannah was sort of amorphous in my mind,” the author and series creator shared. “Now, when I reread the book, it’s Jen’s face [I see]. And it will always be Jen’s face — she is [now] Hannah Hall to me.” Besides watching Garner in the starring role, you can also catch Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as her missing husband Owen, and Angourie Rice as his teenage daughter Bailey, who Hannah works with to discover the truth behind Owen’s disappearance. You can take in all the powerhouse performances that the series’ trailer teases when The Last Thing He Told Me releases on Apple TV+ come April 14.

From the nail-biter family feature On a Wing and a Prayer to the thriller series The Last Thing He Told Me — and some varied picks in between that run the gamut from period piece to docu-style comedy — this has been our list of new movies and series streaming in April that you don’t want to miss. And whichever titles make it onto your watchlist, each one comes packed with plenty of noteworthy performances to enjoy, regardless of if you see more rain or sunshine this month.

Need something easy to do while watching these new releases? Download the Casting Networks iOS app and find your next gig! 

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The post New Movies and Series Streaming in April 2023 You Won’t Want to Miss first appeared on Casting Networks.

The post New Movies and Series Streaming in April 2023 You Won’t Want to Miss appeared first on Casting Networks.