Late last year, TNT ordered a TV series pilot episode based on Bong Joon Ho’s seminal sci-fi survival film, Snowpiercer, and now Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange, the upcoming Locke & Key pilot episode) has been announced as the director, with Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) coming on board to play the lead role.
Press Release (via The Futon Critic): Tony(R) Winner Daveed Diggs Boards TNT's Snowpiercer Pilot, To Be Directed by Scott Derrickson
Futuristic Thriller to be Executive-Produced by Writer/Showrunner Josh Friedman; Director Scott Derrickson; Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios; And the Original Film's Bong Joon Ho
Turner's TNT has cast Daveed Diggs, who earned a Tony(R) for the Broadway hit Hamilton, to star in the network's drama pilot Snowpiercer, which will be directed by Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson. Derrickson will also serve as an executive producer on the series. Based on the acclaimed movie of the same name, the hour-long drama pilot is a co-production of Tomorrow Studios and Turner's Studio T. Snowpiercer is executive-produced by writer-showrunner Josh Friedman (Avatar 4, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles); Tomorrow Studios' Marty Adelstein (Aquarius, Prison Break, Teen Wolf) and Becky Clements (Good Behavior, Aquarius, Last Man Standing); and the original film's Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Lee Tae-hun and Dooho Choi, along with CJ Entertainment.
Snowpiercer is a futuristic thriller set seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, and the remnants of humanity inhabit a gigantic, perpetually moving train that circles the globe. Class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival are questioned in this riveting television adaptation.
Diggs will star as Layton Well, a prisoner barely surviving the harsh conditions in the tail end of the train. A quiet thinker who spends his days sniffing the industrial-waste-turned-drug Chronole and tending to his cage full of rats, Layton becomes a reluctant participant in a struggle that could upend life on the train.
Diggs originated the role of Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson in the groundbreaking Broadway musical Hamilton, for which he earned not only a Tony but also a Grammy(R). He has also appeared in such television series as The Get Down and Black-ish. In 2010, he teamed up with longtime friends Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson to form the experimental hip-hop/rap trio clipping. Their newest album, the critically acclaimed Splendor & Misery, debuted in September and earned a Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Derrickson scored critical and box office success last year with the Marvel blockbuster Doctor Strange, which he both co-wrote and directed. Throughout his career, Derrickson has made his mark with memorable genre films including his breakout horror hit The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), the remake of the classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), the sleeper horror hit Sinister (2012) and Deliver Us from Evil (2014).
Snowpiercer is part of an ever-expanding roster of TNT pilots designed to continue the network's programming evolution that began last year with the summer hit Animal Kingdom. The pilot marks TNT's second project with Tomorrow Studios, which also produces the network's acclaimed new drama Good Behavior, starring Michelle Dockery. TNT's development slate also includes pilots for The Deep Mad Dark, a thriller about the complexities of friendship, from executive producers John Wells and Megan Martin, and Deadlier Than the Male (working title), a challenging and morally complex thriller about three damaged people trying to start over, from executive producers Bruna Papandrea, Harriet Warner and Casey Haver.
About Tomorrow Studios
Tomorrow Studios, a joint venture between CEO Marty Adelstein and ITV Studios, develops and produces dramas and comedies distributed by ITV Studios Global Entertainment. Spearheaded by Adelstein and Becky Clements (President), this highly successful producing duo has already enjoyed great success as they head into their second season of TNT's Good Behavior, starring Michelle Dockery. They have two pilots currently in production at TNT: Snowpiercer by Josh Friedman and directed by Scott Derrickson based on the iconic film, and Highland, by Liz Sarnoff, starring Margaret Cho in a dramedy loosely based on Margaret's life. Tomorrow Studios also has an exclusive development deal with Fabrication, a production company formed by award-winning writer/showrunner trio John McNamara, Sera Gamble (The Magicians, Aquarius) and Alex Cunningham (Chance, Aquarius).
About TNT
TNT, a division of Turner, ranks among cable's Top 5 networks with young adults and is home to one of cable's most popular slate of original series, including Animal Kingdom, Good Behavior, The Last Ship, Major Crimes, The Librarians and the upcoming Claws, Will, The Alienist and more. TNT also presents popular shows like Arrow, Supernatural, Bones and Castle; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards(R) and the iHeartRadio Music Awards; and championship sports coverage, including the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
Turner, a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content for consumers around the world. Turner brands and businesses include CNN/U.S., HLN, CNN International and CNN.com, TBS, TNT, TCM, truTV, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Adult Swim, Turner Sports, Bleacher Report, FilmStruck, Super Deluxe, iStreamPlanet and ELEAGUE.
Daveed Diggs on Black-ish:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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