Syfy has revealed celebrity cameos and “Star Wars”-inspired poster art for “Sharknado: The 4th Awakens,” and FYI has ordered an original series from Vox Entertainment, Vox Media’s programming and development division.
CASTING:
Like past installments of the cult Syfy franchise, “Sharknado: The 4th Awakens” will boast an abundance of celebrity guest appearances.
Among those making cameos in the fourth installment, set to premiere July 31, are Stacey Dash, “Shark Tank’s” Robert Herjavec and Lori Greiner, David Faustino (“Married with Children”), Cynthia Bailey (“The Real Housewives of Atlanta”), Motley Crue’s Vince Neil, Wayne Newton and “Baywatch” stars Gena Lee Nolin and Alexandra Paul.
Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, David Hasselhoff and Ryan Newman will reprise their roles in “The 4th Awakens,” with Gary Busey, Tommy Davidson and Cody Linley also attached to star. The next addition in the genre saga will take place five years after the course of destructive events that occurred in “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No.”
SERIES ORDERS:
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FYI has greenlit “Prefabulous,” an original series from Vox Entertainment. The series explores the prefab real estate trend, with each episode following an individual or family’s journey to build their dream prefab home.
HIRES:
“Sons of Anarchy” producer Charles Murray will serve as showrunner on Lee Daniels’ recently-greenlit girl band series “Star,” Variety has confirmed. The showrunner gig comes as part of a new two-year overall deal Murray has entered with 20th Century Fox TV, which is behind “Star.” In addition to being showrunner, Murray — whose other credits include “Castle” and “Criminal Minds” — will develop his own projects for the studio.
“Charles has written in every conceivable genre, on shows from ‘Sons of Anarchy’ to ‘Castle’ to ‘Criminal Minds.’ He literally defines versatility, and he brings a passion for excellence and a confidence to every project. ‘Star’ is a huge priority for the network; it’s wildly ambitious and packed with talent from the luminous Queen Latifah to the bright young discoveries that form the girl group at its center. Charles is exactly the right showrunner to take on this exciting series and ensure that we not only shoot for the stars but actually reach them.”
Murray is also an exec producer on Netflix’s upcoming Marvel series “Luke Cage.” He is repped by Paradigm, manager Jeff Okin at Anonymous and attorney Darrell B. Miller. Deadline first reported on Murray’s deal.
ABC has promoted Ayo Davis to the head of talent and casting for ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios.
Davis has worked in ABC’s casting division for 13 years, most recently holding a position as the group’s senior VP of talent and casting, where she guided casting for hit ABC series like “Modern Family,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Scandal,” “American Crime,” “black-ish” and “Once Upon a Time.” Upon assuming her new post, Davis recruited Jonathan Bluman as the VP of ABC talent and casting.
DEVELOPMENT:
Dark Horse is launching a new comic book series, “Briggs Land,” which is also being developed for pilot consideration at AMC. Brian Wood will pen the comic, working with interior artist Mack Chater, cover artist Tula Lotay, and Hugo-award nominated colorist Lee Loughridge. Wood will also write the pilot script, and will executive produce the potential project alongside John Hodges and Ravi Nandan at A24.
“AMC and I have been looking for the right thing to work on together for years, and it finally came in the form of ‘Briggs Land,’ a crime drama set within a rural secessionist community. It’s the culmination of everything I’ve done in my twenty years as a comics creator, bringing socially conscious and politically charged themes to the page, putting some of the more unsettling elements of American culture under scrutiny,” said Wood in a statement. “With AMC I have a much larger canvas to work on, and the ability to design the overall story so the TV show and the comic add to each other.”
Hodges and Nandan added, “We have been avid readers and rabid fans of Brian’s work for some time, and we are thrilled to collaborate with him on translating this exciting new property to the screen for AMC, which continues to define itself by championing bold and unique voices.”
“Briggs Land” centers on the titular locale, a hundred square miles of rural wilderness that harbors the largest and most secretive antigovernment secessionist movement in the United States. When matriarch Grace Briggs wrests control of the operation from her incarcerated husband, she sparks a war within the community — and her immediate family — that threatens to bring the full power of the federal government down on their heads. Issue one of “Briggs Land” will debut in stores on Aug. 17.