Donald Glover’s FX Networks comedy pilot, “Atlanta,” has cast its lead actors as production gets underway this month.
Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Lee Stanfield and Zazie Beetz will star in the pilot along with Glover, who created and wrote the pilot.
“Atlanta” revolves around two cousins on their way up through the Atlanta rap scene whose opposing views on art versus commerce, success and race will make their quest anything but easy, says the press release.
Accomplished music video director Hiro Murai will direct the pilot, which will be produced by FX Productions, and begin shooting in Atlanta at the end of July.
Here’s a breakdown of each character the above actors will play:
Donald Glover will play Earnest “Earn” Marks, a loner who left Atlanta only to return; now working an unglamorous job and barely getting by. When his cousin Alfred becomes Atlanta’s hot rapper, Earn sees an opportunity to manage Alfred’s career.
Brian Tyree Henry will play Alfred Miles, Atlanta’s hot of the moment rapper who plans to capitalize on the sudden fame as quickly as possible. Henry is currently recurring on HBO’s “Vice Principals.” He will next be seen in the feature film “Puerto Ricans in Paris.” He’s also done some theatre, including Broadway’s “Book of Mormon.”
Lakeith Lee Stanfield will play Darius, Alfred’s oddly talented right-hand man and musical collaborator. Stanfield can currently be seen in “Dope,” and will next be seen in the features “Snowden,” “Straight Outta Compton” and “Miles Ahead,” among several others.
Zazie Beetz will play Van, a pragmatist caught up in a complicated relationship with Earn (Donald Glover) due to their daughter. Beetz is currently shooting “Wolves” for writer/director Bart Freundlich. She has appeared will next be seen in the feature “Finding Her.”
If “Atlanta” is eventually ordered to series, it’ll be the second cable TV project starring and created by black creatives, set in Atlanta, with Atlanta in the title, ordered for the next TV season. The other is a half-hour comedy from Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin, titled “Brothers in Atlanta,” which stars both gentlemen as 2 young struggling entertainers, trying to make it big in Atlanta.
Source: Shadow & Act
