ONTD

Morris Chestnut Joins 'Nurse Jackie' In Season Long Arc.



Is it just me, or have Morris Chestnut's job prospects suddenly gotten brighter? I'd say we've written about him more in the last 4 months than we had in the last 2 years.



In addition to recent casting announcements revealing that Chestnut has been cast as the male lead, opposite Halle Berry, in Sony’s thriller The Hive, as well as joining the cast of Kick-Ass 2, playing the guardian for the character played by Chloe Moretz, and also co-starring in the comedy ID Theft, which stars Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy... it's been revealed today that Chestnut has joined the cast of Nurse Jackie, in what is being called a season-long arc on the Showtime dramedy, for next season.

Here's how Deadline describes his role:

Chestnut will play Ike Prentiss, a new trauma doctor, a former Army medic who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is very good at his job but can learn a lot from Jackie (Edie Falco) about bedside care.

Marcy Harriell also joins in recurring role.

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Rutina Wesley Readies Her Post True Blood Career, Cast In -  'Last Weekend' and 'Angry Little Gods'





True Blood's Rutina Wesley was said to be in negotiations to star in a drama titled Last Weekend, directed by Tom Dolby and Tom Williams, which centers on the the changes characters in a family home undergo, during their last weekend there.

It was reported that Wesley would join Patricia Clarkson in the films, which is all we knew at the time.

We've learned today, that:

- the film is actually a dark comedy;

- that is also stars Zachary Booth, Joseph Cross, Devon Graye, Jayma Mays, Chris Mulkey, and Alexia Rasmussen;

- that the film takes place over a four-day summer holiday at Celia and Malcolm Green's Northern California estate (played by Clarkson and Mulkey), where their two sons (Cross and Booth) and their friends have been invited for a long weekend. And further, as a series of events disturbs Celia's carefully planned festivities, the future of the family and the house becomes uncertain.

- Devon Graye portrays a boyfriend to one of the sons (Booth). Jayma Mays plays a popular TV actress and friend of one of the sons (Booth); Alexia Rasmussen is the girlfriend of Cross, and Rutina Wesley plays a character named Nora Finley-Perkins, described as a young studio executive. Although we don't know how her character is related to the others, and what her involvement in the story is.

Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad) is producing Last Weekend.

The second project that was announced last week was a thriller titled Angry Little Gods, to be directed by Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism).

Wesley would play the fiancee to the star of the film, Mark Webber, who's involved in a game that could win him a substantial sum of money, or cost him his life (she doesn't know that he's playing this game by the way).

As for what's immediately on Rutina's slate, IMDB lists a drama called California Winter on her page, which she co-stars in along with Michael Ironside; it lists a 2012 release date, but no month.

Rutina's relatively short onscreen career has seen her work primarily in television. Her last feature film performance was in 2007's How She Move. It would be great to see her utilized in a variety of roles.


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Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme) Joins AMC's LaGravenese/Goldwyn Legal Thriller.




Even though I know very little about what to expect with this upcoming pilot, I can't help but be excited about it, given what we know of it so far - namely, the cast.

Catching you up to where we are... it was about 3 weeks ago, when we reported the news that Damon Gupton had landed the lead role in AMC’s untitled Richard LaGravenese and Tony Goldwyn project, described as a legal thriller with major political, personal and ethical stakes.

Gupton will play Adam Powell - a district attorney who uncovers new evidence that prompts the reinvestigation of a sensational murder case.

Aunjanue Ellis was later announced as co-star alongside Gupton, playing his wife, Billie Powell, described as a successful partner in a private equity firm and generally regarded by others as "the smartest person in the world."

And about a week later, Seth Gilliam (The Wire) joined the cast in a recurring role, playing Adam’s younger brother, described as "a handsome uniformed cop."

And today brings news that another stellar actor in Clarke Peters (also of The Wire, but also Treme, and more) has been cast as a regular in the upcoming show. Peters will play Adam's (Damon's) father, Isaiah Page, described as a retired cop and the former Philadelphia police commissioner.

Marin Ireland (Homeland, Mildred Pierce) is also co-starring in the project.

LaGravenese will write and executive produce alongside Goldwyn, who will direct. By the way, Goldwyn plays President Fitzgerald Grant on Shonda Rhimes' Scandal; he's a director in his own right, helming episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Damages, Private Practice, Dexter, Justified, and others.

I'd say this is shaping up to be, at the very least, a well-acted legal drama/thriller, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what develops here.




source, 2, 3