Exclusive: Henry Simmons, Bryan Greenberg, Torrey Hanson, Ora Jones and Jasmine Batchelor are set to recur in the new MGM+ series Emperor of Ocean Park, a suspense thriller inspired by the best-selling novel of the same name from Stephen L. Carter. They join previously announced series regulars Forest Whitaker, Grantham Coleman, Tiffany Mack and Paulina Lule.
From John Wells and Sherman Payne, Emperor of Ocean Park is set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard. It follows Talcott Garland (Coleman), an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland (Whitaker), dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah (Tiffany Mack), a former journalist and inveterate conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, met with foul play.
From John Wells and Sherman Payne, Emperor of Ocean Park is set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard. It follows Talcott Garland (Coleman), an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland (Whitaker), dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah (Tiffany Mack), a former journalist and inveterate conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, met with foul play.
- 2/6/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Forest Whitaker has signed on to star in John Wells’ “Emperor of Ocean Park” series set at MGM+. He joins previously announced cast members Grantham Coleman (“Lawman: Bass Reeves”), Tiffany Mack (“Jessica Jones”), and Paulina Lule (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”).
He’ll play Judge Oliver Garland, a notable name in national politics and the judicial system as well as the leader of his family. “He is stern, intelligent, calculating, and proud. As a Black man in America, navigating unwelcoming and often hostile environments, he has formed a hard exterior—that he’s come to rely on as a shield. He is a devoted father whose commitment to his family simultaneously bolsters and undercuts his deeply and rigidly held conservative principles,” reads the description.
“I’m excited to be playing Judge Oliver Garland, and thank John Wells, Sherman Payne, and Michael Wright for this opportunity to join the cast and crew of Emperor of Ocean Park,...
He’ll play Judge Oliver Garland, a notable name in national politics and the judicial system as well as the leader of his family. “He is stern, intelligent, calculating, and proud. As a Black man in America, navigating unwelcoming and often hostile environments, he has formed a hard exterior—that he’s come to rely on as a shield. He is a devoted father whose commitment to his family simultaneously bolsters and undercuts his deeply and rigidly held conservative principles,” reads the description.
“I’m excited to be playing Judge Oliver Garland, and thank John Wells, Sherman Payne, and Michael Wright for this opportunity to join the cast and crew of Emperor of Ocean Park,...
- 1/17/2024
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
Forest Whitaker (Godfather of Harlem) has joined the cast of Emperor of Ocean Park, the new MGM+ suspense thriller inspired by the best-selling novel of the same name from Stephen L. Carter.
From John Wells and Sherman Payne, Emperor of Ocean Park is set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard. It follows Talcott Garland (Grantham Coleman), an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland, dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah (Tiffany Mack), a former journalist and inveterate conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, met with foul play.
Whitaker will portray Judge Oliver Garland, the patriarch of his family and a formidable figure in national politics and the judicial system. He is stern,...
From John Wells and Sherman Payne, Emperor of Ocean Park is set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard. It follows Talcott Garland (Grantham Coleman), an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland, dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah (Tiffany Mack), a former journalist and inveterate conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, met with foul play.
Whitaker will portray Judge Oliver Garland, the patriarch of his family and a formidable figure in national politics and the judicial system. He is stern,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Emperor of Ocean Park, MGM+’s series adaptation of Stephen L. Carter’s best-selling novel, has found its lead.
The series, which comes from John Wells and Sherman Payne, has cast Grantham Coleman as Talcott Garland.
Set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, the series centers on Talcott Garland, an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland, dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah, a former journalist and inveterate conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, met with foul play.
Tiffany Mack & Paulina Lule (Courtesy of Di Harvell / Molly Pan)
Tiffany Mack plays Mariah Denton and Paulina Lule plays Kimmer Madison Garland, Tal’s wife, a high-powered lawyer on the verge...
The series, which comes from John Wells and Sherman Payne, has cast Grantham Coleman as Talcott Garland.
Set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, the series centers on Talcott Garland, an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland, dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah, a former journalist and inveterate conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, met with foul play.
Tiffany Mack & Paulina Lule (Courtesy of Di Harvell / Molly Pan)
Tiffany Mack plays Mariah Denton and Paulina Lule plays Kimmer Madison Garland, Tal’s wife, a high-powered lawyer on the verge...
- 11/30/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Here is a wrap-up of all the news you need to know from Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
Lara Jean's journey is over, and it's time for Kitty to enter the spotlight.
Netflix has unveiled the official trailer for the To All the Boys... franchise's spinoff series, Xo, Kitty, and it looks like a lot of fun.
"Teen matchmaker Kitty Song Covey thinks she knows everything there is to know about love," the logline reads.
"But when she moves halfway across the world to reunite with her long-distance boyfriend, she'll soon realize that relationships are a lot more complicated when it's your own heart on the line."
Xo, Kitty stars Anna Cathcart (Kitty Song Covey), Minyeong Choi (Dae), Gia Kim (Yuri), Sang Heon Lee (Min Ho), Anthony Keyvan (Q), Peter Thurnwald (Alex) with Yunjin Kim (Jina), and Sarayu Blue (Trina).
The cast is rounded out by John Corbett (Dan Covey), Michael K Lee...
Lara Jean's journey is over, and it's time for Kitty to enter the spotlight.
Netflix has unveiled the official trailer for the To All the Boys... franchise's spinoff series, Xo, Kitty, and it looks like a lot of fun.
"Teen matchmaker Kitty Song Covey thinks she knows everything there is to know about love," the logline reads.
"But when she moves halfway across the world to reunite with her long-distance boyfriend, she'll soon realize that relationships are a lot more complicated when it's your own heart on the line."
Xo, Kitty stars Anna Cathcart (Kitty Song Covey), Minyeong Choi (Dae), Gia Kim (Yuri), Sang Heon Lee (Min Ho), Anthony Keyvan (Q), Peter Thurnwald (Alex) with Yunjin Kim (Jina), and Sarayu Blue (Trina).
The cast is rounded out by John Corbett (Dan Covey), Michael K Lee...
- 4/25/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
A television adaptation of Stephen L. Carter’s best-selling novel “Emperor of Ocean Park” has been granted a 10-episode series order at MGM+.
The suspense thriller, which is set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, centers on Talcott Garland, an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland, dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah, a former journalist and inveterate conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, met with foul play.
“Emperor of Ocean Park is much more than a murder mystery,” MGM+ head Michael Wright said in a statement. “While it is an engrossing whodunit in its own right, it also explores important themes of middle-and-upper-class Black identity, making it an outstanding...
The suspense thriller, which is set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, centers on Talcott Garland, an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland, dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah, a former journalist and inveterate conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, met with foul play.
“Emperor of Ocean Park is much more than a murder mystery,” MGM+ head Michael Wright said in a statement. “While it is an engrossing whodunit in its own right, it also explores important themes of middle-and-upper-class Black identity, making it an outstanding...
- 4/25/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
MGM+ is moving forward with its series adaptation of suspense thriller Emperor of Ocean Park.
The network has handed the adaptation of Stephen L. Carter’s best-selling novel a 10-episode series order. It comes from Shameless writer Sherman Payne, John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
It comes after the project was unveiled in development at the start of the year as the Amazon-owned company rebranded from Epix to MGM+.
Damian Marcano (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) is set to direct multiple episodes.
Related: 2023 MGM+ Pilots & Series Orders
Set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, the series centers on Talcott Garland, an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland, dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah, a...
The network has handed the adaptation of Stephen L. Carter’s best-selling novel a 10-episode series order. It comes from Shameless writer Sherman Payne, John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
It comes after the project was unveiled in development at the start of the year as the Amazon-owned company rebranded from Epix to MGM+.
Damian Marcano (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) is set to direct multiple episodes.
Related: 2023 MGM+ Pilots & Series Orders
Set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, the series centers on Talcott Garland, an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland, dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah, a...
- 4/25/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
“Emperor of Ocean Park,” the best-selling novel by Stephen L. Carter, is being adapted into a TV series at MGM+.
MGM+ (formerly Epix) has ordered 10 episodes of the show. The order brings the book’s long road to the screen to near completion. It was originally optioned back in 2001 ahead of the book publishing. Multiple attempts have since been made to adapt the book into a film and later a television series, though none of those projects have moved forward until now.
“Emperor of Ocean Park is much more than a murder mystery,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “While it is an engrossing whodunit in its own right, it also explores important themes of middle-and-upper-class Black identity, making it an outstanding addition to MGM+’s slate of engaging and thought-provoking original series.”
Per the official logline, the series is “set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and...
MGM+ (formerly Epix) has ordered 10 episodes of the show. The order brings the book’s long road to the screen to near completion. It was originally optioned back in 2001 ahead of the book publishing. Multiple attempts have since been made to adapt the book into a film and later a television series, though none of those projects have moved forward until now.
“Emperor of Ocean Park is much more than a murder mystery,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “While it is an engrossing whodunit in its own right, it also explores important themes of middle-and-upper-class Black identity, making it an outstanding addition to MGM+’s slate of engaging and thought-provoking original series.”
Per the official logline, the series is “set in the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and...
- 4/25/2023
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The origin story on Essence magazine is the subject of a period drama series in development at HBO Max. It is executive produced by Edward Lewis, the co-founder of Essence magazine and chairman and publisher emeritus of Essence Communications Inc., one of the largest African-American owned communications companies in the United States.
Set amid the changing social and cultural landscape of post-civil rights era America, the series is inspired by the relationships between the men who founded the iconic women’s magazine, Essence, and the women who were the creative force behind it, as they create something mainstream America has never seen before. The show will tell the story of a Black startup before “startup” was a term and explores universal themes of love, loss and the pursuit of the American Dream.
Shukree Tilghman and Jessica Rambo have been tapped to write the project.
Lewis, Clarence O. Smith, Cecil...
Set amid the changing social and cultural landscape of post-civil rights era America, the series is inspired by the relationships between the men who founded the iconic women’s magazine, Essence, and the women who were the creative force behind it, as they create something mainstream America has never seen before. The show will tell the story of a Black startup before “startup” was a term and explores universal themes of love, loss and the pursuit of the American Dream.
Shukree Tilghman and Jessica Rambo have been tapped to write the project.
Lewis, Clarence O. Smith, Cecil...
- 10/6/2020
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Sneak Peek more footage from "The Vampire Diaries" episode "The Next Time I Hurt Somebody, It Could Be You", written by Shukree Hassan Tilghman and directed by Tanya Hamilton, airing December 9, 2016 on The CW:
"...faced with the fallout from his interaction with 'Cade' (Wole Parks), 'Stefan' (Paul Wesley) is determined to have one thing go right - Christmas Eve with 'Caroline'.
"However, when 'Damon' (Ian Somerhalder) and 'Sybil' (Nathalie Kelley) crash their Christmas Eve dinner, which had been joined by 'Alaric' (Matt Davis), 'Matt' (Zach Roerig) and 'Peter' (Joel Gretsch), things quickly take a dark and twisted turn.
"Meanwhile, in a series of flashbacks to Stefan's past, Cade's attempt to entice him with his mysterious agenda leaves Stefan faced with an unimaginable decision..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Vampire Diaries: The Next Time I Hurt Somebody, It Could Be You"...
"...faced with the fallout from his interaction with 'Cade' (Wole Parks), 'Stefan' (Paul Wesley) is determined to have one thing go right - Christmas Eve with 'Caroline'.
"However, when 'Damon' (Ian Somerhalder) and 'Sybil' (Nathalie Kelley) crash their Christmas Eve dinner, which had been joined by 'Alaric' (Matt Davis), 'Matt' (Zach Roerig) and 'Peter' (Joel Gretsch), things quickly take a dark and twisted turn.
"Meanwhile, in a series of flashbacks to Stefan's past, Cade's attempt to entice him with his mysterious agenda leaves Stefan faced with an unimaginable decision..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Vampire Diaries: The Next Time I Hurt Somebody, It Could Be You"...
- 12/8/2016
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Though documentaries don't often get the same amount of buzz as other kinds of web content, it's been refreshing to see more docs - and particularly public media - attempt to tackle black issues and culture in the online space. Last month, PBS unveiled a full slate of programming and events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. Among the offerings, the PBS Black Culture Connection website debuted The March @50, a web series by Shukree Tilghman (More Than a Month), which asks if America has delivered on the original demands of the marchers for jobs and freedom. Four episodes have been released to date with one more on the way. Thus far...
- 9/17/2013
- by Jai Tiggett
- ShadowAndAct
We’re back! Glad to return to this series after a short hiatus since it began in the spring. If you missed the first few interviews, you can find an introduction for Finding the New Black and my conversations with Lena Waithe Here and Here,with Terence Nance Here, and with Benjamin Cory Jones Here. For this installment, I spoke with filmmaker Shukree Tilghman, whose feature-length documentary More Than a Month premiered on PBS earlier this year. In looking at the next wave of black content creators, it seemed appropriate to explore how documentary filmmakers are bringing new approaches to the genre, a trend that Shukree represents well. His film takes a funny and...
- 7/17/2012
- by Jasmin
- ShadowAndAct
PARK CITY -- "Banished", directed by veteran filmmaker Marco Williams, adds another compelling and necessary chapter to the literature of racism in this country. Although it is virtually unknown, more than a dozen counties in the U.S. violently expelled thousands of families in the years between the Civil War and the Great Depression. But these are not just historical facts. "Banished" explores the legacy of these events in the communities and for the descendants of the families. Enlightening and informative, the film should have a healthy life on cable outlets and in classrooms.
Williams visits three communities and examines the lasting effect the expulsions have had on their vitality. The first stop is one of the whitest counties in the South, Forsyth County, Ga., where 1,000 blacks were banished in 1912 and, according to the 1980 census, only one black person was living there then. To give the story context, we see footage from a 1987 Brotherhood march in which demonstrators are met by townsfolk and Klansmen waving Confederate flags and throwing stones. Says one demonstrator, "We had reached an abyss where we weren't supposed to be."
And so Forsyth County remains to this day. But back in 1912, Morgan Strickland and his clan were respected landowners in the town. The film follows his descendants' efforts to find out what happened to this land. In one moving scene, the family returns to discover an overgrown and neglected ancestral graveyard. They clear the land, place flowers and pray, but there is no reparation.
Charles and James Cobb had no idea of their family history in Pierce City, Mo., until they stumbled upon a newspaper story and recognized their kin in an old photograph. Their efforts at reparation center on the disinterment of their great-grandfather so they can move him to friendly ground next to his son. The Cobbs' dialogue with the town, particularly the sympathetic but limited county coroner, reveals the ambiguity of the issue. The Cobbs ask the town to foot the bill, claiming that it "will go long way to saying that Pierce City has changed." But there is no reparation.
Williams' last stop is Harrison, Ark., where, in two episodes of mob violence in 1905 and 1909, all black citizens were expelled from the town. After a newspaper article revealed this history, a voluntary task force was formed to find ways to make amends. But in visits to the leader of the Ku Klux Klan who lives nearby, and other elderly people in the town, it becomes clear that Harrison has become a haven for people who want to live a life where there are no blacks. An attempt to place a grave marker for the town's last black woman is denied.
As "Banished" points out, these are by no means isolated communities but representative of the institutionalized racism that was prevalent then and continues today. Newspaper stories often are the catalyst for awareness, and Williams interviews several journalists, all white, who have written often unpopular stories on the subject. And sometimes, as the only black man in these town, Williams is forced to interject his presence as a way to seek the truth.
More than a history lesson, "Banished" seeks an answer for both sides to the questions of how we can come to terms with what happened and what we can do now to heal the wounds.
BANISHED
Center for Investigative Reporting, Two-Tone Prods. and ITVS in association with the National Black Programming Consortium
Credits:
Director: Marco Williams
Producers: Marco Williams, Shukree Tilghman, Van Dora Williams
Executive producers: Burt Glass, Dan Noyes, Whitney Dow
Director of photography: Steve McCarthy
Editors: Kathryn Barnier, Sandra Christie
Running time -- 89 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Williams visits three communities and examines the lasting effect the expulsions have had on their vitality. The first stop is one of the whitest counties in the South, Forsyth County, Ga., where 1,000 blacks were banished in 1912 and, according to the 1980 census, only one black person was living there then. To give the story context, we see footage from a 1987 Brotherhood march in which demonstrators are met by townsfolk and Klansmen waving Confederate flags and throwing stones. Says one demonstrator, "We had reached an abyss where we weren't supposed to be."
And so Forsyth County remains to this day. But back in 1912, Morgan Strickland and his clan were respected landowners in the town. The film follows his descendants' efforts to find out what happened to this land. In one moving scene, the family returns to discover an overgrown and neglected ancestral graveyard. They clear the land, place flowers and pray, but there is no reparation.
Charles and James Cobb had no idea of their family history in Pierce City, Mo., until they stumbled upon a newspaper story and recognized their kin in an old photograph. Their efforts at reparation center on the disinterment of their great-grandfather so they can move him to friendly ground next to his son. The Cobbs' dialogue with the town, particularly the sympathetic but limited county coroner, reveals the ambiguity of the issue. The Cobbs ask the town to foot the bill, claiming that it "will go long way to saying that Pierce City has changed." But there is no reparation.
Williams' last stop is Harrison, Ark., where, in two episodes of mob violence in 1905 and 1909, all black citizens were expelled from the town. After a newspaper article revealed this history, a voluntary task force was formed to find ways to make amends. But in visits to the leader of the Ku Klux Klan who lives nearby, and other elderly people in the town, it becomes clear that Harrison has become a haven for people who want to live a life where there are no blacks. An attempt to place a grave marker for the town's last black woman is denied.
As "Banished" points out, these are by no means isolated communities but representative of the institutionalized racism that was prevalent then and continues today. Newspaper stories often are the catalyst for awareness, and Williams interviews several journalists, all white, who have written often unpopular stories on the subject. And sometimes, as the only black man in these town, Williams is forced to interject his presence as a way to seek the truth.
More than a history lesson, "Banished" seeks an answer for both sides to the questions of how we can come to terms with what happened and what we can do now to heal the wounds.
BANISHED
Center for Investigative Reporting, Two-Tone Prods. and ITVS in association with the National Black Programming Consortium
Credits:
Director: Marco Williams
Producers: Marco Williams, Shukree Tilghman, Van Dora Williams
Executive producers: Burt Glass, Dan Noyes, Whitney Dow
Director of photography: Steve McCarthy
Editors: Kathryn Barnier, Sandra Christie
Running time -- 89 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 1/29/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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