Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin has been hard at work over the last few months on a new television show centered around the high-profile, high-controversy, world of cable news. That work has paid off as HBO has ordered an initial season of More As This Story Develops. This will be Sorkin’s first TV project since Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip ended in 2007. The new show will star Jeff Daniels (SPEED, Good Night and Good Luck) as a divisive Bill O’Reilly-style talk show host on a major cable news network and Emily Mortimer as his no-nonsense stage manager. Other notable players include Allison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs The World), Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) and Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel.
West Wing fans missing their political fix should be well-pleased at the news. The acclaimed Sorkin series (set in a fictional White House administration) gained prominence for its portrayal of a fast-paced, stressed, United States president (Martin Sheen) and his staff. More As This Story Develops will likely touch on many of the same topics, approaching them from the perspective of an American media machine that has grown more divisive and sensational over the last few years.
Sorkin will write and produce the new series, leaving directing duties to Greg Mottola (Arrested Development, Superbad), at least for the first episode. Scott Rudin (The Social Network) and Alan Poul (Six Feet Under, The Big C) serve as executive producers, with Francine Maisler as the casting director. Sorkin prepared for the show by spending time with real-world news pundits Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews.
For Sorkin, the project will be his first on cable, with his three previous TV series (Sports Night, The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) airing on broadcast (the first on ABC and the last two on NBC).
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
