Natalie Portman & Lupita Nyong’o Cast for Roles in ‘Lady In The Lake’ Series At Apple; Elizabeth Banks Set To Direct ‘Cocaine Bear’ for Universal; ‘The Equalizer’ Has Been Renewed For a Second Season

Elizabeth Banks is Set to Direct ‘Cocaine Bear’ for Universal Pictures

Elizabeth Banks is set to direct Cocaine Bear for Universal Pictures. The film is written by Jimmy Warden, and is inspired by true events that took place in Kentucky in 1985. 

In 1985, a convicted drug smuggler who died while parachuting from a plane smuggling an extremely heavy load of cocaine. An unfortunate bear found the 40 containers of cocaine and died of an overdose. It will be intriguing to discover what angle Elizabeth Banks will approach the story from.

Banks and Max Handelman will serve as producers through their company, Brownstone Productions. Banks, Lord, and Miller, who worked together on The Lego Movie franchise, will also join the project as producers.

Aditya SoMatt Reilly and Creative Executive Christine Sun will oversee the project on behalf of Universal.

‘The Equalizer’ Nabs a Second Season at CBS

Television Network,  CBS, has renewed Queen Latifah’s The Equalizer for a second season.

This is an interesting development because the series is just four episodes into the first season. It is  a reboot of the 1980s series of the same name. 

CBS Entertainment President, Kelly Kahl, said, “The Equalizer has proven more than equal to the task of engaging viewers and racking up wins on Sunday night. We’re extremely proud to see this outstanding broadcast drama, led by Queen Latifah, punch through the competitive landscape and return for a second season.”

The network has stated that the series is television’s No. 1 scripted series in viewers, adults 25-54 and adults 18-49, averaging 14.6M million viewers.

Natalie Portman and Lupita Nyong’o Board Apple TV+ Series

And new faces are enroute to the series scenes. Natalie Portman and Lupita Nyong’o are set to star in a series adaptation of Laura Lippman’s book, ‘Lady in The Lake’, for Apple TV+. Alma Har’el is set to direct the limited series, as she also pens the pilot episode.  Jean-Marc Vallée is set to produce through Crazyrose and Bad Wolf America. Alma Har’el also directed the critically acclaimed Honey Boy (2019) which featured Shia LaBeouf.

The limited series is set in the 60s Baltimore.  An unsolved murder causes Maddie Schwart (Natalie Portman) to reinvent her life as an investigative journalist. This pits her against Cleo Sherwood (Lupita Nyong’o) and sets the drama on course.