Jay Ellis headlines a new Rookie spinoff for ABC, Aaron Eckhart stars in an 80s-inspired sci-fi thriller, and Billy Magnussen portrays a serial killer in comedy Hot Ted
The Rookie: North (20th Century Studios)
Long-running ABC cop serial The Rookie will receive a new spinoff pilot starring Jay Ellis (All Her Fault, Top Gun: Maverick). The Rookie: North will closely follow the premise of the original series starring Nathan Fillion. The new series will focus on Alex Holland (Ellis), a middle-aged man who becomes the oldest rookie cop, with rural Washington replacing the Los Angeles setting of the original show. The project will be written and directed by Alexi Hawley, who oversees the original series and previously collaborated with Fillion on Castle. Filming is scheduled to begin in late February with Vancouver, Canada portraying Pierce County, Washington.
Trial By Combat (Thunder Road Pictures)
Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Night, Sully) is set to star in an 80s-inspired sci-fi thriller titled Trial By Combat. The film is set in a near future where “judicial combat” has become accepted practice and legal trials are settled by gladiatorial combat between elected “Champions.” Eckhart stars as John Porter, a once-great Champion, who is chewed up and spat out by the judiciary and undertakes a high-stakes battle to the death in the hope of bringing the whole system crashing down. The project will be directed by Renny Harlin (the Strangers trilogy) and will begin filming in London in early March.
Hot Ted (Mucho Mas Media)
Billy Magnussen (Road House, Lilo & Stitch), Ella Purnell (Fallout, Yellowjackets) and Ariana Greenblatt (Barbie, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t) are set to star in the upcoming serial killer teen comedy Hot Ted. The project will be the film debut of SNL alumni Hannah Levy. According to press materials, “When 16-year-old true-crime podcast enthusiast Zoe (Greenblatt) is sent to Camp Shady Pines for the summer, she becomes suspicious of the charming counselor Ted (Magnussen), who exhibits all the hallmarks of a classic serial killer. As campers start disappearing, Zoe and her friends must uncover the truth: is Ted a murderer or just the perfect guy?” The project will begin filming in the Los Angeles area this February.
