Since making the jump to movies full time following his success on TV with The Office, Steve Carell has largely limited himself to promotional appearances on talk shows and producing series such as Angie Tribeca. But a lead role in a new, untitled drama starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston has tempted him back to the small screen.
The series, the first to be ordered by tech giant Apple as it builds a streaming service aiming to rival Amazon and Netflix, will follows the lives and careers of morning TV anchors across the pond. Carell is playing Mitch Kessler, a morning show anchor struggling to maintain relevance in a changing media landscape.
Michael Ellenberg cooked up the original idea, drawing on background material from CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter’s 2013 book Top Of The Morning, which recounted the recent rivalry between Stateside shows Today and Good Morning America, and his production company Media Res serves as the studio. Several outlets and networks chased the project, with Apple offering an initial two-season commitment of 10 episodes per season. Show creator Jay Carson left the job of showrunner earlier this year, and has been replaced by Friday Night Lights/Bates Motel veteran Kerry Ehrin.
Carell is no stranger to playing news types after the Anchorman films' Brick Tamland and Bruce/Evan Almighty's Evan Baxter. We get the feeling that Kessler will be a little less wacky, though. Film-wise, he'll next be seen in Welcome To Marwen, due 1 January, Beautiful Boy, out 18 January and Vice on 25 January. The start of next year is going to be a Carell-a-palooza for UK audiences...
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