ICYMI: HBO Picks Up New Bill Hader Comedy, New Walking Dead Casting, and More TV News
HBO hopes to continue the comedy hot streak that’s produced Veep and Silicon Valley with Barry, a new half-hour starring, co-written and directed by SNL alum Bill Hader about a low-rent Midwestern hitman who travels to L.A. for a hit job and finds himself comfortably immersed in the L.A. theater scene. (Deadline)
Disney Jr. will double down on the success of their current hit Sofia The First with a spin-off called Elena of Avalor. While we still don’t have a premiere date, we do know Chris Parnell (SNL, Anchorman, 21 Jump Street), Jenna Ortega (Jane the Virgin) have been cast as two of the main voices for the animated show. Elena will be introduced in a special episode of Sofia The First, which has featured her kingdom of Avalor in past episodes. (Deadline)
It’s been a big week for fans of The Walking Dead anxiously awaiting the second half of season six: Creator Robert Kirkman said the upcoming premiere will pick right up in the middle of all the action, which, judging by the released promo art, seems to be true. Actor Thomas Payne posted promo art of a hand holding a rosary to his Instagram account, confirming that AMC has cast Jesus, a popular character from the comics who will rival Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan as a big driving force in the second act of season six. The Walking Dead returns February 14. (Vanity Fair)
HBO is jumping on the March Madness train with Gonzaga: The March to Madness, a five-episode docuseries following the Gonzaga University men’s basketball team from November 2015 through March 15th – the first day of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Championship Tournament. Narrated like all HBO Sports productions by Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), Gonzaga premieres February 16. (Hollywood Reporter)
New photos of Jude Law in full papal regalia on the set of HBO’s The Young Pope have surfaced to confuse straight females the world over. The eight-part miniseries centers around fictional American Pope Pius XIII, and will premiere on HBO later this year. (Vanity Fair)
Unlikely Oscar contender Mad Max: Fury Road has earned 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture. If you’re behind the times and still haven’t seen one of the best films of this year, you can watch it on HBO on-demand on Sling TV. (E! Online)
Former Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. B.J. Britt has been cast in season 2 of Lifetime’s fake reality show, UnReal as Darius Hill, a NFL quarterback who is the first African-American to headline the fake dating competition Everlasting, which bears a striking resemblance to The Bachelor. (Deadline)