or


[06/29/22 - 10:47 AM]
Vince Staples, Xavier Mills, Melvin Gregg, Essence Renae and Karen Obilom to Star in Showtime Comedy Series Pilot "The Wood"
Guest stars Richard T. Jones and Tamala Jones will reprise their original roles as Slim and Tanya from the film.

[via press release from Showtime]

VINCE STAPLES, XAVIER MILLS, MELVIN GREGG, ESSENCE RENAE AND KAREN OBILOM TO STAR IN SHOWTIME(R) COMEDY SERIES PILOT "THE WOOD"

Richard T. Jones and Tamala Jones From the Original Film Return as Guest Stars

LOS ANGELES - June 29, 2022 - SHOWTIME has announced the cast for the pilot of the network's new comedy series THE WOOD, based on the coming-of-age feature film written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa (THE CHI, Dope). Famuyiwa is directing the pilot and executive producing with Justin Hillian (THE CHI, Snowfall), who is writing the script. Executive producing along with Famuyiwa and Hillian are Gunpowder & Sky's Van Toffler and David Gale. The pilot, currently in production in Inglewood, Calif., is a production of Paramount Television Studios. Guest stars Richard T. Jones (The Rookie) and Tamala Jones (Castle) will reprise their original roles as Slim and Tanya from the film.

THE WOOD is an honest look at friendship and dating from the perspective of three young Black males born and raised in the gentrifying L.A. suburb of Inglewood. The trio's struggles to balance fatherhood, ambition and loyalty force them to question if they are growing apart, or closer together. With a knowing nod back to the characters of the 1999 film on which it is based, this romantic comedy showcases the humor and heart of young Black men and women trying to navigate life, love and likes on the 'Gram.

The pilot will star Vince Staples (Lazor Wolf) as Jamal, an aspiring photographer from Ladera Heights, who has been cut off by his upper-class family when he decided to follow his own path instead of going to historic Morehouse College. Xavier Mills (Grief, Legacies) stars as Dame, a sheep in wolves' clothing who is educated and ambitious but frustrated by his lot in life. He's guarded and emotionally unavailable to everyone except for his high school sweetheart Brielle, played by Karen Obilom (Doom Patrol, Games People Play). Brielle is a confident, polished engineer with big dreams of surpassing her humble beginnings. Melvin Gregg (Snowfall, Nine Perfect Strangers) plays Shawn, a Pokémon card reseller weighing the pros and cons of staying loyal to his friends or growing up, settling down and trying to make his relationship work with Ashley, played by Essence Renae (Bosch: Legacy). Ashley is the mother of his daughter and an aspiring fashion designer who is impervious to his charms and has clear rules and expectations for him as a man and father.

Famuyiwa was raised in Inglewood. In addition to directing the feature film version of The Wood, originally released in 1999, Famuyiwa earned NAACP Image Awards(R) for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television) for Confirmation and Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television) for Talk to Me. In addition, Famuyiwa won the African-American Film Critics Association(R) award for Best Screenplay for Dope, which he also directed. His other film projects as both writer and director include Our Family Wedding and Brown Sugar. For television, Famuyiwa shared a Writers Guild of America nomination for Drama Series for The Mandalorian. Famuyiwa directed the pilot episode of THE CHI, on which he has served as an executive producer since its premiere.

In addition to serving as showrunner on THE CHI since the beginning of its third season, Hillian earned a Black Reel Awards nomination for Outstanding Writing, Drama Series for his work on Snowfall. His other television credits include I'M DYING UP HERE and Superstore.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME(R), which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) and FLIX(R), as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV(R). For more information, go to www.SHO.com.

Paramount Television Studios is a leading content studio, developing and financing a wide range of cutting-edge and entertaining television programs across all media platforms for distribution worldwide. The studio's robust slate includes THE OFFER (Paramount+), GREASE: RISE OF THE PINK LADIES (Paramount+), FATAL ATTRACTION (Paramount+), AMERICAN GIGOLO (Showtime), "Made For Love" (HBO Max), "Station Eleven" (HBO Max), "Shantaram" (Apple TV+), "Time Bandits" (Apple TV+), "Defending Jacob" (Apple TV+), "Home Before Dark" (Apple TV+), Tom Clancy's "Jack Ryan" (Prime Video), "Reacher" (Prime Video), "Devil in the White City" (Hulu), "The Spiderwick Chronicles" (Disney+), "Joe Pickett" (Spectrum Originals), "The Haunting of Bly Manor" (Netflix) and "The Haunting of Hill House" (Netflix), among others. Paramount Television Studios is a subsidiary of Paramount (NASDAQ: PARA; PARAA), a global content company with premier television, film and digital entertainment brands.





  [june 2022]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· WOOD, THE (SHOWTIME)





[02/18/25 - 01:02 PM]
Peacock's All-New Documentary Special, "Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy" Explores the Alleged Secret L.A. Ketamine Scene at the Heart of the Legal Case
The one-hour special tracks the beloved star's tragic death and the fight for justice in his name.

[02/18/25 - 12:10 PM]
CBS Announces a Straight to Series Order for "Boston Blue (wt)," A New Drama Starring Donnie Wahlberg, for the 2025-2026 Season
In the series, a universe expansion of the long-running top drama "Blue Bloods," Wahlberg will reprise his role as NYPD officer Danny Reagan as he takes a position with Boston PD.

[02/18/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of Feb. 10: Romance Sweeps the Top 10 Off Its Feet for Valentine's Day
The Italian getaway "La Dolce Villa" topped the English films list (19.8 million views), hitting the Top 10 in 90 countries, while Amy Schumer's "Kinda Pregnant" followed hot on its heels at No. 2 (13.7 million views).

[02/18/25 - 11:00 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" Returns from Its Blockbuster 50th Anniversary Celebrations with Two Back-to-Back Shows Beginning March 1
Shane Gillis will host "Saturday Night Live" for the second time on March 1; while Lady Gaga will do double duty for the second time on March 8.

[02/18/25 - 10:01 AM]
"PULSE" - Netflix's First English-Language Medical Procedural Premieres Globally on Netflix on April 3, 2025
As a hurricane barrels towards Miami's busiest Level 1 Trauma Center, third-year resident Dr. Danny Simms (Willa Fitzgerald) is unexpectedly thrust into a promotion when beloved Chief Resident Dr. Xander Phillips (Colin Woodell) is suspended.

[02/18/25 - 10:00 AM]
First Look and Date Announcement: Hulu Original Film "Control Freak"
The film will debut exclusively on Hulu on March 13 and will be available on Disney+ internationally at a later date.

[02/18/25 - 09:22 AM]
"The White Lotus" Season 3 Premiere Checks in with 2.4 Million Viewers, Up 57% Growth from Previous Season
After 36 hours the Season 3 premiere has doubled the Season 2 premiere episode during the same amount of time, and grew 90% since Sunday night, bringing the domestic audience to 4.6 million cross platform viewers.

[02/18/25 - 09:02 AM]
Joe Buck to Call Milwaukee Brewers at New York Yankees Opening Day Game March 27 Exclusively on ESPN
Buck will provide play-by-play for ESPN's exclusive MLB Opening Day presentation of the Milwaukee Brewers at New York Yankees game, beginning at 3 p.m. ET from Yankee Stadium.

[02/18/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This three part docuseries from directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan gives an in-depth look at how the world mobilized to hunt down Osama Bin Laden after his orchestrations of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

[02/18/25 - 09:00 AM]
David Blaine Pushes the Limits of Magic and Human Endurance in National Geographic's New Six-Part Series "David Blaine Do Not Attempt"
Produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's award-winning Imagine Documentaries, this six-part series follows world- renowned magician and endurance artist David Blaine exploring the world through the lens of magic.

[02/18/25 - 08:00 AM]
A24's "Queer" Begins Streaming Exclusively on Max March 28
The film stars Daniel Craig, whose performance earned nominations from the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and SAG Awards, alongside Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman, Henrique Zaga, and Omar Apollo.

[02/18/25 - 08:00 AM]
Date Announcement: Hulu Original Series "Am I Being Unreasonable?" Season 2
Created by and starring Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli, the complete second season will premiere on March 12.

[02/18/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: "Darwin" - Official Trailer - ALLBLK Original
Tahj, a determined young woman, escapes foster care to join her streetwise cousin, Bam Bam, and disillusioned college grad, Canis, in a life of urban heists targeting the affluent.

[02/18/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Reveals Trailer for "Dope Thief" Starring Brian Tyree Henry
The ensemble cast starring alongside Henry includes Wagner Moura, Marin Ireland, Kate Mulgrew, Nesta Cooper, Amir Arison, Dustin Nguyen and Golden Globe Award winner Ving Rhames.

[02/18/25 - 06:40 AM]
Reggie Miller to Join NBC Sports Beginning with 2025-26 NBA Season
"It's good to be HOME, NBC Sports...and hello, Peacock! Some of my most memorable moments have been on NBC and I'm looking forward to creating more," said Miller.