Well, this bit of news gives us a range of mixed emotions. While we’re sad we’ll never get to see the dream team pairing of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kathryn Hahn in the Showtime series "Happyish," due the former’s tragic passing, the show is back in the works. And with another talent we really like, who brings a different set of tools to the equation. Steve Coogan has signed on to replace Hoffman, with Hahn in talks to return to show too. The series has been slightly rejiggered and will now focus on "Thom Payne, a 44 year-old man whose world is thrown into disarray when his 25-year-old ‘wunderkind’ boss arrives, saying things like ‘digital,’ ‘social’ and ‘viral.’ Is he in need of a ‘rebranding,’ as his mentor insists, or does he just have a ‘low joy ceiling,’ as his corporate headhunter suggests? Maybe pursuing happiness is a fool’s errand? Maybe, after 44 years on this ludicrous planet, settling for happyish is the best one can expect." Production on the pilot begins next month, and we’ll gladly take a Coogan/Hahn pairing. [Deadline]
On the topic of British actors doing American TV comedies, Nick Frost is headed to ABC for the decidedly less intriguing "The Finger." The show follows "the world’s most famous jewel thief who wants to quit his life of crime, open up a humble sandwich shop and do right by his 9-year-old son—and all of that is really hard to do." [Deadline]
While the internet was embarrassingly talking about her face, Renee Zellweger signed up for a new movie, albeit the confusingly titled, faith-based drama "Same Kind Of Different As Me." It’s based on the book of the same name and chronicles the true story of the "unlikely friendship between wealthy white art dealer Ron Hall and former sharecropper-turned-drifter Denver Moore." God, indeed. [Deadline]
Kim Basinger is joining the bros club of Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Matt Bomer, Beau Knapp, and Keith David, in Shane Black‘s "The Nice Guys." The movie, "set in 1970s Los Angeles, follows a private eye and a hired leg breaker who must work together to solve the case of a missing girl and the seemingly unrelated death of a porn star." Warner Bros. has high hopes for this, slating a June 17, 2016 release. Let’s hope it’s not "Gangster Squad" all over again. [THR]
