Tessa Thompson, co-star of the “Creed” film series and an ongoing player in the MCU (“Thor”), chooses her other projects with care. And she’s just signed on to executive produce and star in the psychological thriller “His & Hers,” based on the novel by Alice Feeney. The six-episode Netflix series, written by Bill Dubuque and Dee Johnson (“Fellow Travelers,” “The Good Wife”), is to be set in Atlanta where a former journalist (Thompson) lives as a recluse. Then she learns of a murder in her small Georgia hometown that, ironically, brings her back to energetic life. We love Thompson in anything and we really love a murder mystery, so as soon as Netflix drops this one, it’ll be time to binge before anyone spoils the ending.
Tig Notaro, Justin Simien board separate ‘Star Trek’ projects
The Star Trek panel at San Diego Comic-Con was abuzz with new projects. First up: Tig Notaro, Oded Fehr and Mary Wiseman, all of whom starred in “Star Trek: Discovery,” and Robert Picardo from “Star Trek: Voyager,” are joining the crew of “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.” The upcoming series already boasts big names like Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti for its story of young space travelers working toward original “Trek” ideals of optimism and hope for the future. Production begins next month. Meanwhile, “Dear White People” creator Justin Simien and actor Tawny Newsome (Star Trek: Lower Decks) are co-writing their own as-yet-untitled “Star Trek” sitcom with “Trek” franchise captain Alex Kurtzman. The live-action comedy option hasn’t figured into “Trek” output yet, so this will be quite literally where no one has gone before. Together the projects bode well for an invigorated, multivalent franchise, and that’s good. We’ve had a lot of dystopian entertainment lately, and something other than fatalistic doom will be a more than welcome arrival.
Russell Tovey leaps into ‘Doctor Who’ spinoff
Disney and BBC jointly announced at San Diego Comic-Con a new project titled “The War Between the Land and the Sea.” Does that sound like it’s connected to “Doctor Who?” No? Well, it is. The five-part spinoff series will see returning DW cast members Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient joined by both “Loki” star Gugu Mbatha-Raw and the prolifically employed Russell Tovey (most recently of “Feud: Capote vs The Swans,” and whose off-camera art podcast is a breath of fresh air). The story involves the threat of an ancient species that seeks to destroy humanity, necessitating the involvement of UNIT (that’s “Doctor Who” stuff, don’t worry about it) to save Earth’s population. Production begins next month, will stream on Disney+ in the U.S., and just became must-watch future TV.
‘Queens of the Dead to serve zombie realness
What happens when the zombie apocalypse targets queer club kids? The answer will be revealed in “Queens of the Dead,” from Tina Romero (daughter of legendary “Night of The Living Dead” filmmaker George Romero). Co-written by Romero and author Erin Judge (“Vow of Celibacy”) , the action descends on a glamour-obsessed group of young queer Brooklyn “drag queens, club kids, and frenemies” (per the official logline) who have to band together and put their own pettiness on hold to fight back against the zombie menace. Naturally a very cool cast has already been assembled: Jaquel Spivey (“Mean Girls”), Katy O’Brian (“Love Lies Bleeding”), Margaret Cho (“Fire Island”), Brigette Lundy-Paine (“I Saw The TV Glow”) and Cheyenne Jackson (“American Horror Story”) and production begins soon. Slay, queens, slay.
