FX Orders Bob Fosse Limited Series Starring Sam Rockwell, Michelle Williams With Lin-Manuel Miranda Producing
By Joe Otterson
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – FX has ordered a limited series based on the life of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon with Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams attached as the series leads, Variety has learned.
Based on “Fosse,” the biography written by Sam Wasson, the untitled eight-part series tells the story of the romantic and creative partnership between Fosse and Verdon. He was a visionary filmmaker and one of theater’s most influential choreographers and directors, while she was the greatest Broadway dancer of all time. Together they changed the face of American entertainment at a perilous cost. Featuring Fosse’s choreography, the series explores the hidden corners of show business, the price of pursuing greatness, and the suffering inflicted in the name of art. Production on the series is slated to begin in the fall with the show set to launch in 2019.
, Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, and George Stelzner will executive produce, with Rockwell and Williams also executive producing. Levenson, who will serve as showrunner, wrote the premiere episode which will be directed by Kail. Nicole Fosse, daughter of Fosse and Verdon, serves as co-executive producer and oversees The Verdon Fosse Legacy. Co-producer Andy Blankenbuehler is the choreographer.
“We are over the moon about this dream team we’ve assembled for this incredible series,” said Nick Grad, co-president of original programming for Networks and FX Productions. “Tommy, Steven, and Lin are the perfect team to tell the story of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, and we’re so thrilled to have Sam and Michelle playing these iconic roles.”
Rockwell recently won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” He will also star opposite Christian Bale and Amy Adams for director Adam McKay in the upcoming film “Backseat” and also in “The Best of Enemies” opposite Taraji P. Henson. His other notable film appearances include “Frost/Nixon,” “Moon,” “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” and “The Green Mile.” His role in this project will mark his first regular live-action television role. He is repped by Gersh and Untitled Entertainment.
Williams has earned four Oscar nominations throughout her career for her work in “Brokeback Mountain,” “Blue Valentine,” “My Week with Marilyn,” and “Manchester by the Sea.” She also stars opposite Tom Hardy in the Marvel film “Venom.” distributed by Sony Pictures, and was recently seen opposite Hugh Jackman in “The Greatest Showman.” Her other film credits include “Shutter Island,” “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” “Synecdoche, New York,” “I’m Not There,” and “Land of Plenty.” On television, Williams is known for playing Jen Lindley on WB’s hit drama “Dawson’s Creek.” She is repped by WME, Brillstein Entertainment and Bloom, Hergott, Diemer, Rosenthal, LaViolette, Feldman, Schenkman & Goodman.
“Bob Fosse ignited a revolution in American dance, theater, and film,” Kail, Levenson and Miranda said in a joint statement. “But, in contrast to the well-worn myth of the visionary artist working in solitude, Fosse’s work would not have been possible without Gwen Verdon, the woman who helped to mold his style – and make him a star. We are honored to work with the incredible team at FX and Fox 21, and these two extraordinary actors, to tell the story of this remarkable couple, and the complicated, fascinating relationship between them.”
Kail is a director and producer, having directed productions of Miranda’s musicals “In the Heights” and “Hamilton,” for which he received the Drama Desk Award and Tony Award for best director of a musical. He also directed the Emmy Award-winning special “Grease Live!” for Fox. Levenson won the 2017 Tony for best book of a musical for the acclaimed Broadway hit “Dear Evan Hansen.” His television credits include Showtime’s “Masters of Sex” and the limited series “Wayward Pines” for Fox.
Miranda is best known for creating and starring in the original cast of “Hamilton,” as well as “In the Heights.” Since the success of “Hamilton,” he has appeared on shows like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Saturday Night Live,” and “Sesame Street,” and will star in the upcoming Disney film “Mary Poppins Returns.”
Kail, Levenson, and Miranda are repped by WME.
