The entertainment industry is constantly changing, and it's important to stay aware of what’s going on. Want to find out who’s casting? What projects are happening? What’s coming up? Call Sheet highlights will help you stay in-the-know: Juel Bestrop Casting enters the world of parental rivalry in “Bad Moms,” starring Leslie Mann and filming this July in New York. TNT pilot “Animal Kingdom” proves life for a teen can be a jungle when he realizes his relatives are funding their lifestyle through illegal means. John Levey Casting will populate the production slated for a late summer start date. In a highly anticipated move to Broadway this November, “The Color Purple” is enlisting Telsey + Company to round off a star-studded cast that already includes Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo, and “Orange Is The New Black” regular Danielle Brooks. Sarah Finn is taking a break from finding superheroes to line...
- 5/28/2015
- backstage.com
A new Machinima Web series pushes a cast of minority performers into the spotlight. “Chop Shop” follows the lives of members of two rival car theft gangs as they compete for turf in East Los Angeles. Director Elliott Lester said they wanted to cast performers who could add authenticity to the six-episode drama. In some cases, that meant casting extras and principal actors who were weeks out of prison. “They went from the prison yard to our yard,” said Lester, tongue in cheek. “What’s nice with a show like this is you get to make some discoveries. You’re not seeing the same old faces. Actors who are not in the mix on TV get a chance to step up,” he told reporters ahead of the launch of the show July 18. “This is a show that is hugely ethnically diverse, which is representative of Los Angeles. I would never...
- 7/18/2014
- backstage.com
Four Fox drama pilots including a project from J.J. Abrams and J.H. Wyman and “Gang Related,” a pilot written by the screenwriter of “Fast & Furious,” have casting directors attached, Backstage has learned. Abrams and Wyman’s “Inhuman,” which shoots in March, is set to be cast by April Webster and Sarah Isaacson of April Webster & Associates. The sci-fi drama is set in the near future when human police officers are paired with human-like androids. Meanwhile, Megan Branman and Dylan Brander of Branman/Brander Casting are working on “Gang Related,” a pilot from “Fast & Furious” screenwriter Chris Morgan. The plot centers on a gang member who infiltrates the San Francisco police department on behalf of a crime boss. “Boomerang,” a drama about a family of assassins contracted by the federal government to render their services for the good of the country, is set to be cast by John Frank Levey and Melanie Burgess.
- 2/11/2013
- backstage.com
Three new drama pilots, including one with Charlize Theron attached as a producer, now have casting directors. Backstage has learned Eric Dawson of Udk is set to cast “Hatfields & McCoys,” which is being billed as a modern re-imagining of the 19th-century feud. In the NBC pilot, the Hatfields are a white-collar family feuding with the blue-collar McCoys. It’s set to be directed by Michael Mayer, who directed the pilot of NBC’s “Smash,” and has Theron attached as a producer. “The List,” a Fox pilot about a U.S. marshal tasked with tracking down the killer, or killers, who are systematically murdering people in the witness protection program, is set to be cast by Jennifer Cooper. It’s set to shoot in March. Another pilot with a March shoot date, “The Advocates,” a CBS drama, is set to be cast by John Frank Levey and Melanie Burgess. It’s...
- 2/1/2013
- backstage.com
Hero Theatre previously announced that Joe Manganiello of HBOs True Blood and feature film Magic Mike would join Emmy Award winner William H. Macy, star of Showtimes Shameless and Academy Award nominee for Fargo, in a benefit reading of Tennessee Williams Small Craft Warnings, directed by John Frank Levey. The benefit will be held today, July 29 at 6pm at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, Calif. The event will include a silent auction.
- 7/29/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Hero Theatre has announced that Joe Manganiello of HBOs True Blood and feature film Magic Mike has joined previously announced Emmy Award winner William H. Macy, star of Showtimes Shameless and Academy Award nominee for Fargo, in a benefit reading of Tennessee Williams Small Craft Warnings, directed by John Frank Levey. The benefit will be held on Sunday, July 29 at 6pm at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, CA. The event will include a silent auction.
- 7/2/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Los Angeles might be one of the most diverse cities in the world, but the actors cast in film and television series set in the city don’t always reflect that. Too often, roles for minority actors can be scarce or force the performer into portraying a discomforting stereotype.TNT’s “Southland” breaks that mold by giving minority performers a chance to showcase their talent in co-starring and guest-starring roles. “There are more minorities on ‘Southland’ than any other show on television,” said John Frank Levey, the show’s casting director.The one-hour cop drama is shot on location in L.A. and uses actors drawn from the communities it’s set in. Korean, Latino, and African-American performers regularly appear as shopkeepers, witnesses, victims and, yes, criminals. The difference between “Southland” and other cop dramas, where minority actors often find themselves getting busted or put on trial, is that its...
- 6/26/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Sean J. MIller)
- backstage.com
John Frank Levey and Melanie Burgess will cast the one-hour drama pilot "Bad Girls" for NBC, Back Stage has confirmed. John Wells, the showrunner for Showtime's "Shameless" and creator of "E.R.," is executive producer for this adaptation of the long-running British crime drama of the same name."The project follows the ins-and-outs of a group of unlikely women in a federal prison: a scandalous female warden, her new protégé and a host of inmates – some mothers, some friends—who struggle with loyalties to people on the inside and the outside," according to "The Hollywood Reporter." Shed Media and John Wells Productions are producing, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The pilot is scheduled to shoot in Los Angeles in March.Back Stage also confirmed that Levey and Burgess will cast the pilot for Wells' other project in development this season, "Prodigy Bully," a half-hour single-camera comedy for Fox, written by "Glee" co-star.
- 2/2/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Daniel Lehman)
- backstage.com
In the Television Drama Casting panel at Actorfest La, four amazing Casting Directors -- with credits that include "Dirty, Sexy, Money," "Shameless," "Gossip Girl," and "Bones" -- teach you how to break into TV.Want to know how to break in to television dramas? From co-stars to series regulars and from pre-read to network test -- top casting directors discuss all sides of television procedurals casting.Speakers include (bios below): -- Mary Jo Slater, Casting Director-- John Frank Levey, Casting Director-- David Rapaport, Casting Director-- Rick Millikan, Casting DirectorTo register for this dynamic workshop, visit actorfestla2011.eventbrite.com.Proud casting accomplishments for Mary Jo Slater include William Friedkin's "Twelve Angry Men" for Showtime, starring Jack Lemmon, George C. Scott, and James Gandolfini and receiving a C.S.A. nomination; the DreamWorks feature "The Contender," starring Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, and Gary Oldman and also receiving a C.S.
- 11/1/2011
- by help@backstage.com ()
- backstage.com
David Rapaport, casting director for "Gossip Girl" and "90210," will join CDs Rick Millikan ("Bones," "The X-Files"), John Frank Levey ("Shameless," "ER"), and Mary Jo Slater ("The Starter Wife," pilot of "Dirty, Sexy, Money") on the Television Drama Casting Panel at Actorfest La. Actorfest La, which is brought to you by Back Stage, the Actor's Resource, will take place on Saturday, November 5th at the California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles.To help kickstart your career, Actorfest offers more than two dozen exclusive Workshops; Casting Calls; Meet & Drops with Top Casting Directors; a Networking Café; and an enormous Exhibit Hall, at which you can meet with acting teachers, coaches, schools, headshot photographers, and many more vendors who will help you succeed in your career.To register for Actorfest La, please visit actorfestla2011.eventbrite.com. For more information, visit www.ActorfestLA.com. As you register, take advantage of our special limited-time subscription offers.
- 10/25/2011
- by help@backstage.com ()
- backstage.com
Lisa Soltau was living in Seattle when her friend Bonnie Gillespie sent her a book she had written called "Casting Qs," a compilation of interviews with casting directors. "I read it and I absolutely loved all the aspects of the job," says Soltau. "I loved the entertainment industry and movies and television. The process of casting sounded wonderful."She called one of the two casting offices in Seattle and ended up working as an intern there for about six months. But the CD told her she should move to New York or Los Angeles if she really wanted to pursue a career in casting. "I picked L.A. because I had lived there once for about three years and I thought it would be easier to acclimate there," Soltau says. "Plus I wanted to work on 'Six Feet Under,' which was airing at the time.
- 10/20/2010
- backstage.com
Over the years, John Frank Levey has amassed an impressive array of Emmy and Artios awards for his work on such groundbreaking shows as "ER" and "The West Wing." At this year's Artios ceremony, he was honored with the Hoyt Bowers Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the casting profession. Levey, whose credits also include "Smith," "The Evidence," and "Third Watch," recently cast the critically beloved cop drama "Southland," which NBC canceled before its second season even hit the air. Luckily, the series found a home on the cable channel TNT. "It's one of the casts I'm most proud of," says Levey. "I mean, I guess you're most in love with your most recent project, but I just think that cast is fantastic and I think that show has to have a continued and additional life, and I think it will do well on cable."Directing to CastingI had the...
- 11/12/2009
- backstage.com
In January, TNT will begin airing new episodes of Southland.
The cable network has revived this drama, following NBC's surprising decision to cancel it prior to the premiere of season two.
“We’d been hearing whispers for the last couple of weeks,” said casting director John Frank Levey of the switch. “It’s a great place for us to be. I think we’re going to be free to tell the story the way we wanted to.”
But will there actually be a full second season?
The series has shot six episodes so far, but will need to wait for ratings to come in for these installments before it can rely on a lengthy, The Closer-like stay on TNT.
Levey confirmed as much in an interview with TV Guide Magazine:
"As they see how it goes, one hopes they’ll order a second season quickly. We’ll probably know by February,...
The cable network has revived this drama, following NBC's surprising decision to cancel it prior to the premiere of season two.
“We’d been hearing whispers for the last couple of weeks,” said casting director John Frank Levey of the switch. “It’s a great place for us to be. I think we’re going to be free to tell the story the way we wanted to.”
But will there actually be a full second season?
The series has shot six episodes so far, but will need to wait for ratings to come in for these installments before it can rely on a lengthy, The Closer-like stay on TNT.
Levey confirmed as much in an interview with TV Guide Magazine:
"As they see how it goes, one hopes they’ll order a second season quickly. We’ll probably know by February,...
- 11/4/2009
- by matt@iscribelimited.com (M.L. House)
- TVfanatic
Casting directors came out from behind the curtain to be honored by their peers last night at the 25th Annual Artios Awards. The bi-coastal awards, which were held simultaneously at the new Times Center in New York City and the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, are presented yearly for outstanding achievement in casting in theater, film, and television categories on the criteria of originality, creativity, and contribution of casting to the overall quality of a project.Celebrity awards presenters in New York were Patrick Wilson ("Little Children," "Angels in America"), Carrie Preston ("True Blood"), Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road"), Jennifer Morrison ("House"), Bill Pullman ("Oleanna"), Christine Ebersole ("Grey Gardens"), Vincent Kartheiser ("Mad Men"), and Elizabeth Reaser ("Twilight"). Stanley Tucci and producer Daryl Roth presented the New York Big Apple Award to Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron, whose "Love, Loss and What I Wore" recently opened Off-Broadway to rave reviews.
- 11/3/2009
- backstage.com
• The Casting Society of America held the silver-anniversary edition of the Artios Awards on Monday night in both Gotham and La. The Csa kudos -- saluting the best in casting -- went to "Star Trek" (drama feature), "Tropic Thunder" (comedy feature), "Milk" (independent feature), and "Up" (animated feature). On the TV front, the winners were "Mad Men" (drama series), "Flight of the Conchords" (comedy series), "Grey Gardens" (TV movie), and "Glee" (pilot). Producer and studio chief Laura Ziskin was feted with the lifetime achievement award, writer-director Nora Ephron and her sister, writer-producer Delia Ephron, took the New York Apple award, and four-time Emmy winner and five-time Artios honoree John Frank Levey received the Hoyt...
- 11/3/2009
- by tomoneil
- Gold Derby
"Star Trek," "Tropic Thunder," "Milk" and "Up" were among the films honored Monday night as the Casting Society of America held its 25th Artios Awards.
At simultaneous ceremonies at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Century City and the New York Times Building in New York, "Mad Men" and "Flight of the Conchords" were singled out in the TV series categories.
The awards, which recognize originality, creativity and quality in casting, were hosted by actor John Michael Higgins.
A career achievement award was presented to producer Laura Ziskin. Nora and Delia Ephron received the New York Apple Award, and John Frank Levey was the recipient of the Hoyt Bowers Award.
On the film side, the winners were April Webster and Alyssa Weisberg for "Star Trek" in the category of studio feature, drama; Francine Maisler for "Tropic Thunder" (studio feature, comedy); Maisler and Nina Henninger (location casting) for "Milk" (indie...
At simultaneous ceremonies at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Century City and the New York Times Building in New York, "Mad Men" and "Flight of the Conchords" were singled out in the TV series categories.
The awards, which recognize originality, creativity and quality in casting, were hosted by actor John Michael Higgins.
A career achievement award was presented to producer Laura Ziskin. Nora and Delia Ephron received the New York Apple Award, and John Frank Levey was the recipient of the Hoyt Bowers Award.
On the film side, the winners were April Webster and Alyssa Weisberg for "Star Trek" in the category of studio feature, drama; Francine Maisler for "Tropic Thunder" (studio feature, comedy); Maisler and Nina Henninger (location casting) for "Milk" (indie...
- 11/3/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Producer Laura Ziskin, writer-director Nora Ephron, writer Delia Ephron and casting director John Frank Levey will be honored at the Casting Society of America's 24th annual Artios Awards.
- 9/18/2009
- by Gregg Kilday
- backstage.com
Producer Laura Ziskin, writer-director Nora Ephron, writer Delia Ephron and casting director John Frank Levey will be honored at the Casting Society of America's 24th annual Artios Awards.
Simultaneous awards ceremonies will be held in at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles and the New York Times Building in New York on Nov. 2.
Ziskin is set to receive the group's Career Achievement Award. The New York Apple Award will be presented to Nora and Delia Ephron. Levy is this year's recipient of the Hoyt Bowers Award.
Representing 425 members in the United States, Canada, England and Australia, Cas also announced its nominees in film TV and theater on Thursday.
In the category of big budget feature drama, Ellen Chenoweth scored two noms for "Changeling" and "Duplicity." The category nominees are John Papsidera for "The Dark Knight"; April Webster and Alyssa Weisberg for "Star Trek" and Avy Kaufman for "State of Play.
Simultaneous awards ceremonies will be held in at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles and the New York Times Building in New York on Nov. 2.
Ziskin is set to receive the group's Career Achievement Award. The New York Apple Award will be presented to Nora and Delia Ephron. Levy is this year's recipient of the Hoyt Bowers Award.
Representing 425 members in the United States, Canada, England and Australia, Cas also announced its nominees in film TV and theater on Thursday.
In the category of big budget feature drama, Ellen Chenoweth scored two noms for "Changeling" and "Duplicity." The category nominees are John Papsidera for "The Dark Knight"; April Webster and Alyssa Weisberg for "Star Trek" and Avy Kaufman for "State of Play.
- 9/17/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fresh out of Juilliard, Jessica Chastain has inked a talent holding deal with John Wells Prods. The pact calls for Chastain to join one of the Warner Bros. TV-based company's returning series -- NBC's ER, The West Wing and Third Watch -- or to be cast in a pilot for the company targeted for fall 2004. Chastain first caught the eye of JWP head of casting John Levey a year ago, but it was her performance at a Juilliard showcase in Los Angeles this summer that led to a meeting with JWP head John Wells and executive vp Andrew Stearn and the talent deal with the company. "When John Levey brought Jessica to John (Wells) and my attention, we knew that this was someone who we wanted to be in business with," Stearn said. "She is a fresh face that is bound to be a television star." Chastain, who graduated from Juilliard School's drama division in May, is repped by Paradigm and Inspire Entertainment.
- 8/21/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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