Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham to Star in Prime Video Action Series
Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer (“Truth Be Told,” “The Help,” “Hidden Figures”) and Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso,” “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part Two,” “The Fall Guy”) are set to executive produce and star in a new untitled action adventure series for Amazon’s Prime Video.
The eight-episode series, which is based on an original pitch from creator and executive producer Tessa Coates (“Feel Good,” “Ladhood”), follows two best friends, Judith (Waddingham) and Debbie (Spencer), who know almost everything about each other.
Judith, meanwhile, has been living a double life that Debbie knows nothing about: she is a highly trained assassin. When a hit goes horribly wrong, Judith and Debbie must go on the run together and work to repair their broken friendship — all while being targeted by a mysterious enemy who wants them dead. And only together, can they solve this layered mystery.
“I was in as soon as I heard Tessa’s stunning pitch,” Spencer said in a statement. “To be able to dive into a role like Debbie is rare, and working with Hannah to bring this unique friendship to life is a dream.”
“I’m not gonna lie, a few expletives fell out of my face at the prospect of working with the magnificent Ms. Spencer, Tessa Coates’ hugely energetic, exhilarating script, Skydance and Double Dream,” Waddingham added. “To then see the immediate excited response from a mighty beast like Amazon! It’s all just incredibly exciting, and I can’t wait to get our collective teeth into it!”
The series is the first project produced by Skydance Television under its first-look deal with Spencer’s production company Orit Entertainment. Andy and Barbara Muschietti’s Double Dream also serves as a producer on the series.
In addition to Coates, Spencer, Waddingham and the Muschiettis, the project is executive produced by Brian Clisham and Stephanie Kluft for Orit Entertainment, Irene Yeung for Double Dream and David Ellison Dana Goldberg and Matt Thunell for Skydance Television. Mark Mikutowicz and Blair Bigelow developed the project for Skydance.
“The process of developing this series has been one of the most joyous of our careers, starting with the inimitable Tessa Coates. Tessa’s voice and vision lured our incredible producers, Barbara and Andy Muschietti, who were instrumental in developing the project, as well as the dream casting of Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham,” Thunell said. “We are so proud to be making this show with Amazon; this team has created a series that will make audiences around the world laugh, cry and cheer.”
The series is the latest collaboration between Skydance Television, Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video, following the hit series “Reacher” and “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” as well as the upcoming “Cross.”
The post Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham to Star in Prime Video Action Series appeared first on TheWrap.