FREEFORM ASSEMBLES THE CAST FOR PILOT 'LAST SUMMER' FROM BERT V. ROYAL, JESSICA BIEL, MICHELLE PURPLE, MAX WINKLER AND eONE
Chiara Aurelia, Mika Abdalla, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, Nathaniel Ashton, and Brooklyn Sudano Join the Pilot in Series Regular Roles
Freeform has announced the cast for "Last Summer," its pilot from eOne and executive produced by Bert V. Royal ("Easy A," "Recovery Road"), with Iron Ocean Productions' Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple ("The Sinner," "Limetown"), and Max Winkler ("Jungleland," "Flower"). Royal also penned the script, with Winkler directing. Production recently kicked off in Texas.
"Last Summer" is an unconventional thriller that takes place over three summers - '93, '94, '95 - in a small Texas town when a beautiful popular teen, Kate, is abducted and, seemingly unrelated, a girl, Jeanette, goes from being a sweet, awkward outlier to the most popular girl in town and, by '95, the most despised person in America. Each episode is told from the POV of one of the two main girls (Jeanette and Kate), which will have the viewers loyalties constantly shifting as more information is revealed.
Chiara Aurelia ("Tell Me Your Secrets") stars as Jeanette, a sweet high schooler who has a zest for life, but an almost obsessive need to be loved.
Mika Abdalla ("Project Mc2") plays Kate, the embodiment of teenage perfection. Her life is one to be envied until she mysteriously disappears.
Michael Landes ("The Liberator") will play Greg, Jeanette's father, the kind of dad who his kids' friends love, and who thinks the world of his daughter. Though he may present like he has it all together, there are cracks in his otherwise perfect fa�ade.
Froy Gutierrez ("Teen Wolf") has been cast as Jamie, the kind of guy everyone loves. He starts as Jeannette's secret crush, who ends up as her boyfriend the following year.
Harley Quinn Smith ("Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood") will star as Mallory, a quirky outsider who feels left behind when Jeannette becomes the popular girl. Her anger masks her genuine hurt by her once best friend.
Allius Barnes ("Unbelievable") will portray Vince, Jeannette and Mallory's other best friend. He's loyal to his core and continues to stand by Jeannette, even when no one else will.
Blake Lee ("Fam") plays Martin, the kind of teacher every student loves. He genuinely cares about his students, maybe even a little too much.
Nathaniel Ashton ("Mr. Mercedes") portrays Ben, Jamie's best friend, the kind of guy who tries to see everyone's point of view, which frequently leaves him stuck in the middle.
Brooklyn Sudano ("Taken") rounds out the cast as Angela, a bartender at the local dive bar who becomes a sympathetic ear, and has no issue standing up for herself.
About Freeform
Freeform connects to audiences with bold original programming and immersive social engagement that moves the cultural conversation a little forward. As Walt Disney Television's young adult television network, Freeform channels the force and momentum of its audience in its quest for progress with authentic, groundbreaking original series such as "grown-ish," "The Bold Type," "Good Trouble," "Siren," and more. The network also programs tentpole events such as "31 Nights of Halloween," "Kick Off to Christmas" and "25 Days of Christmas." Upcoming original series include "Party of Five," "Motherland: Fort Salem" and "Everything's Gonna Be Okay."
About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE: ETO) is a global independent studio that specialises in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content. The Company's diversified expertise spans across film, television and music production and sales; family programming, merchandising and licensing; digital content; and live entertainment. Through its global reach and expansive scale, powered by deep local market knowledge, the Company delivers the best content to the world.
Entertainment One's robust network includes international feature film distribution company Sierra/Affinity; Amblin Partners with DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, and Reliance Entertainment; Makeready with Brad Weston; unscripted television production companies Whizz Kid Entertainment, Renegade 83, Daisybeck and Blackfin; live entertainment leaders Round Room Live; world-class music labels Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang; innovative music platform Audio Network; and award-winning emerging content and technology studio Secret Location.
About Iron Ocean Productions
Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple formed Iron Ocean Productions with the mission to create original content and a platform that enhances strong female voices. The company most recently wrapped production on Facebook Watch's "Limetown" in which Biel stars opposite Stanley Tucci and will premiere in October. Iron Ocean Productions' last project was USA's limited TV series "The Sinner," which has enjoyed two seasons resulting in multiple awards nominations and is currently in its third season with the network. Season 1 garnered Biel Emmy, Golden Globe and Critic's Choice award nominations for best actress and nominations for both Purple and Biel as series executive producers, with Bill Pullman nominated for a SAG award for his performance in Season 2. The company will soon be going into production on the 3rd season of the hit show with Matt Bomer and Chris Messina set to star, and is simultaneously producing adaptations of the New York Times best seller, "Where They Found Her" and the Chris Cleave Novel "Gold" with Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions
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