Behind the Scenes Buzz

KEVIN HART LINES UP TWO NEW COMEDIES: Kevin Hart is partnering with STXFilms on a pair of comedy movies, Variety reports. The first project is Black Friday, and it is a body switching comedy based on a story by Doan La. The second is an untitled romantic comedy. Hart can be seen in STX’s The Upside, with Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman; the film topped box office expectations, opening in first place and snagging $47 million in its first 11 days of release.

IDRIS ELBA’S YARDIE TO LAND IN MARCH: Rialto Pictures has snagged the rights to Yardie, Idris Elba‘s directorial debut. The film follows the stories of people wrapped up in Jamaican narcotics syndicates and the music industry circa 1970s, into the 80s. “I’m very happy that this movie is going to get play in the States,” Elba said in a release announcing the deal. “It falls in line with a very specific Afro Caribbean experience by the way of Kingston, Jamaica and East London but plays right into the heart of the universal human experience of loss and trauma. My work as an actor both in the UK and U.S. informed every decision I made as a director and my love of music give this film a pulse I know they will feel in Brooklyn.” Yardie will bow March 15^th.

KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS JOINS FLEABAG: Kristin Scott Thomas and Fiona Shaw are set to guest-star in season two of Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s breakout comedy Fleabag, set to premiere on Amazon Prime this spring. The duo joins returning castmembers Olivia Colman (Godmother), Sian Clifford (Claire), Bill Paterson (Dad), Brett Gelman (Martin), Jenny Rainsford (Boo), Hugh Skinner (Harry), Hugh Dennis (Bank Manager) and the already announced addition of Andrew Scott (The Priest). Said Scott Thomas: “Phoebe Waller-Bridge cannot be ignored. She manages to hit core issues with sledgehammer brutality as she trips along with a spring in her step. I laughed helplessly as I binge-watched the first brilliantly funny series and enjoyed being aghast at times. I was very flattered to be asked to be in series two.”

AVA MICHELLE CAST IN TALL GIRL: Netflix has cast actor-dancer-model Ava Michelle in upcoming high school comedy Tall Girl. The newbie will lead a cast that includes Griffin Gluck (American Vandal), Luke Eisner (The Goldbergs) and Sabrina Carpenter (The Hate U Give). Shooting is underway.