Buzz Behind the Scenes

ALEXIS BLEDEL, KURT RUSSELL, BEAU KNAPP TO STAR IN CRYPTO: Beau Knapp (Seven Seconds), Alexis Bledel (The Handmaid’s Tale, Gilmore Girls), Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight), Luke Hemsworth (Westworld), Jeremie Harris (Legion) and Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men), are all set for the thriller Crypto. John Stalberg Jr. directs the indie, which is based on an original story by Jeffrey Ingber. Crypto follows an anti-money laundering agent (Knapp) investigating fraud in his remote New York hometown. Meanwhile, his dad (Russell) and brother (Hemsworth) are struggling to make ends meet on their farm. The agent quickly finds himself in over his head with an art dealer (Bledel) and a crypto enthusiast (Harris). Plus there’s a corrupt accountant (Kartheiser).

ALLISON JANNEY IN TALKS TO JOIN BAD EDUCATION: Allison Janney is in negotiations to join Hugh Jackman in Automatik‘s Bad Education, a film based on a true story from I Think We’re Alone Now screenwriter Mike Makowsky and director Cory Finley (Thoroughbreds). The plot follows a superintendent who is embezzling public funds to enrich his life (but is also a good guy). Jackman plays the superintendent, while Janney would portray a business manager in the school system who is in on the scam.

TELLURIDE NAMES JONATHAM LETHEM GUEST DIRECTOR: Motherless Brooklyn scribe Jonathan Lethem is beefing up his resume. The Telluride Film Festival recently picked Lethem as its guest director for its 45^thannual fest, held over Labor Day weekend from August 31st-September 3^rd. The film version of Motherless Brooklyn, directed by Edward Norton and starring Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe and Leslie Mann, is in production and slated for release in 2019. Lethem is also beloved for his 10 novels including The Fortress of Solitude, short story and essay collections and articles in The New Yorker and elsewhere.

SHAKEUP AT STAR TREK: CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery its ousting showrunners Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts (who took over for Bryan Fuller). Exec producer Alex Kurtman, who guided the franchise and some of its films, is set to take over for Season Two. He will oversee the writers room as well. “We’ve made some producer changes at Star Trek: Discovery. The series continues under the creative vision and leadership of executive producer and co-creator Alex Kurtzman. Discovery remains on course for season two in 2019 with new and continuing stories that build on its successful premiere season,” producers CBS Television Studios said Thursday in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.