Netflix has released the first footage of the action drama series “Man on Fire,” which is scheduled to premiere on April 30th.
Man on Fire is based on the book series of the same name by A.J. Quinnell and tells the story of John Creasy (Yahiya Abdul-Mateen II). The logline reads, “Once a highly functional and skilled Special Forces mercenary known for surviving even the most dire situations, Creasy now suffers from severe PTSD. Determined to overcome his personal demons, he begins the path to redemption. But before he can adjust to this new life, he finds himself back in the fire again, fighting harder than ever.”
The seven-episode season also stars Billy Boulet, Bobby Cannavale, Alice Braga, Scoot McNairy, and Paul Ben-Victor.
Writer and showrunner Kyle Killen will executive produce with New Regency Productions’ Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan, and Natalie Lehmann. Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Tracy Cook of Chernin Entertainment. Kyle Killen and Scott Pennington in Chapter 11. and Stacy Perskie of RedRum. Stephen Caple Jr., Ed McDonnell, Michael Polaire, and Abdul-Mateen II will also serve as executive producers.
Stephen Caple Jr. will direct the first two episodes and will also serve as executive producer.
Check out the teaser below.
casting
Jeff Daniels has joined the cast of Season 5 of “The Morning Show,” Apple TV announced Monday. Daniels will play a recurring guest role as Lucas, a self-made billionaire and founder of an investment firm.
Daniels joins a cast of regulars on the Apple TV drama series that includes Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Nicole Beharie and Jon Hamm. The upcoming season will also feature Aaron Pierre, William Jackson Harper, Boyd Holbrook, Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons.
“The Morning Show” is showrunner and executive producer, with Charlotte Stout serving as showrunner and executive producer, and Mimi Rieder serving as director and executive producer. The series is produced by television studio Media Res, through which Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer will serve as executive producers along with Stout and Rader. Witherspoon will executive produce Hello Sunshine with Lauren Neustadter, while Aniston and Kristin Hahn will executive produce through their Echo Films. Zander Lehmann and Mika Schrafft will also serve as executive producers.
programming
AMC Networks has ordered an eight-episode second season of its upcoming drama series “The Audacity.” The news was announced ahead of the series’ premiere at SXSW in Austin. The first season, which also consists of eight episodes, will be released on AMC and AMC+ on April 12th.
“The “Audacity” depicts the “distorted dreams, outsized egos, and moral lapses” of self-proclaimed future inventors. In a world of jaded billionaires, master psychiatrists, biohacked tech bros, AI labs, and disillusioned teenagers being optimized at elite private schools, an intrepid data-mining CEO (Billy Magnussen) seeks to transform his insight and influence into profit and power. ”
In addition to Magnussen, the cast includes Sarah Goldberg, Zach Galifianakis, Lucy Punch, Simon Helberg, Rob Corddry, Megan Rath, Paul Adelstein, Everett Blank, Tyree Roberge, and Eva Marie Tellek.
“The Audacity” is created, written and executive produced by Jonathan Glatzer (“Better Call Saul,” “Succession”) and executive produced by Gina Mingacci (“Killing Eve”). Lucy Forbes (“This Is Going To Hurt”) directed the first two episodes of season one.
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HBCU GO, Allen Media Group’s free streaming digital platform dedicated to sports and culture at historically Black colleges and universities, has partnered with underrepresented student education organization UNCF in a new agreement to share cross-platform programming.
The partnership began with the video series “HBCU Voices: Executive Leaders Unfiltered.” Produced by video production and event management company 360 Media Management Group (360 MMG), the series is created by UNCF’s Capacity Building Institute and focuses on the innovation, transformation, and progress happening across HBCUs. Upcoming episodes include “Organizational Excellence – Women in Leadership,” “AI, Technology, and HBCUs,” “Driving Systemic Change,” “Reinvigorating the Legacy,” and more.
“UNCF is a great institution with a long history,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, parent company of HBCU GO. “The strategic partnership between HBCU GO and UNCF will continue to advance and expand the tremendous leadership, innovation and impact of historically Black colleges and universities.”
event
Rise Literary launches RiseLive, a new experiential storytelling and speaker series. RiseLive will debut on April 26th at the El Lobrar Hotel in Ojai, California, with 10 speakers taking to the stage to give 10-minute talks.
The series features first-of-its-kind keynote speakers from writers, creators, and academics. Speakers include Eric Goode, Lynette Ramirez, Krista Vernoff, and Daniel Rozelle.
“We wanted to create a space where speakers could reach their full potential intellectually, emotionally and creatively without being tied down by traditional formats,” Rise Literary founder and publisher Kristen McGuinness said in a statement. “RiseLive is about honoring the power of stories, not just as corporate think pieces, but as lived, embodied experiences.”
RiseLive also launched in Bedford, New York, on October 26th, with plans to expand to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2027. Byron Bay, Australia and Dublin, Ireland. RiseLive plans to hold 10 stages a year around the world, with future dates set to include Costa Rica, Vancouver, South Africa, Greece and Sri Lanka starting in 2028.
trailer
Apple TV has released a trailer for its new drama series Margo’s Got Money Trouble, starring Elle Fanning (who also serves as executive producer), Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman.
The eight-episode Apple Original series, produced by A24 and created by David E. Kelley, will premiere worldwide on April 15th with the first three episodes, and will air weekly from Wednesday to May 20th. The show is based on Luffy Thorpe’s best-selling novel of the same name.
Margo’s Got Money Troublez tells the story of Margo (Fanning), a recent college dropout and aspiring writer who navigates the early years of motherhood while struggling to make ends meet financially. The character is the daughter of a former Hooters waitress, played by Pfeiffer, and a former professional wrestler, played by Nick Offerman. Faced with an ever-growing pile of bills and limited options, Margo searches for a way to build a life for herself and her new baby.
The ensemble cast also includes Thaddea Graham, Marcia Gay Harden, Greg Kinnear, Michael Angarano, Rico Nasty, and Lindsey Normington.
Kelly serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer. Other executive producers include Fanning, Dakota Fanning and Brittany Kahan Ward of Lewellen Pictures. Kidman and Per Saari from Blossom Films. Matthew Tinker of David E. Kelley Productions. Pfeiffer, Thorpe, Eva Anderson and Boo Killebrew will also serve as executive producers.
Dearvre Walsh will direct and executive produce the pilot, with Kate Herron and Alice Seabright directing additional episodes.
The series is Kelly’s latest collaboration with Apple TV+, following the legal drama “Presumed Innocent,” which is currently in production for its second season.
Watch the trailer below.
