TNT Taps Tony Award Winner Anika Noni Rose to Star and Co-Executive Produce Pilot for Beast Mode (wt)

TNT Taps Tony Award Winner Anika Noni Rose to Star and Co-Executive Produce Pilot for Beast Mode (wt) Tina Mabry to Serve as Director Beast Mode is written and executive produced by David Schneiderman with executive producers Stefanie Huie and MACRO’s Charles D. King, Kim Roth and Poppy Hanks Turner's TNT has set Anika Noni Rose (The Quad, Power) in the lead role of Marsha Blackstone in the pilot, Beast Mode (working title). Inspired by the life of legendary boxing trainer Ann Wolfe, Beast Mode is written and executive produced by David Schneiderman and produced by Ann Wolfe and MACRO in association with Studio T, with executive producers Stefanie Huie (Triangle) and MACRO’s Charles D. King (Mudbound), Kim Roth (Inside Man) and Poppy Hanks (Fences). Rose will also serve as a co-executive producer. Tina Mabry (Pose) is attached to direct. Pulling herself and her two daughters up from poverty, abuse, homelessness, and criminality, Marsha Blackstone reached the pinnacle of boxing as a fighter and has become equally as successful a trainer known for unconventional methods and a fiercely combative style.  Driven by the belief that any step backward is a slippery slope to her former life, when the boxer Marsha trained to a world title fires her, this complex and inspiring woman is determined to find a new fighter to eclipse the one she lost, but her emotional baggage and militant style could be her undoing in her professional and personal life, especially with her two grown daughters, and a new baby on the way. Rose is an entertainment triple threat, appearing in film and television and on Broadway. She recently finished filming the feature Body Cam and was last seen on the big screen in Assassination Nation, which had its debut at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Additionally, she appeared in the film Everything, Everything and voiced the role of ‘Princess Tiana’ in The Princess and the Frog - becoming the first African-American Disney princess and the youngest person inducted into the Disney Hall of Fame. Other film credits include Dreamgirls, For Colored Girls and Half of a Yellow Sun. On Television, she recently appeared in The Quad, starred in the Emmy Award-nominated Roots as ‘Kizzy’ and was a fan favorite as ‘Jukebox’ in Power. Additional Television credits include The No. 1 Ladies Detective as well as The Good Wife and Private Practice.  Finally, on stage, she received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in Caroline, or Change, and she received a Tony Nomination for Best Featured Actress for her work in A Raisin In the Sun alongside Denzel Washington. This past summer she starred in the title role of ‘Carmen Jones’ in John Doyle’s production at the Classic Stage Company.  Tina Mabry is a writer, director, and producer for television and film. She is currently a writer and producer for the upcoming series, Proven Innocent. She was a co-producer, writer, and director for season two of Queen of the South. Mabry was also a producer, writer, and director on Queen Sugar created by Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey. She produced and directed Melody 1963: Love has to Win, an American Girl special for Amazon Kids. The special earned her a DGA Award and a NAACP Award. Mabry’s other television directing credits include Dear White People, The Mayor, Insecure, Pose and Power. In film, Mabry began her career co-writing the feature screenplay Itty Bitty Titty Committee and went on to write and direct her first feature award-winning film, Mississippi Damned. Rose's Photo Credit: Nathan Johnson Mabry's Photo Credit: Ashly Covington  About TNT TNT is basic cable's #1 network in primetime with young adults and is home to one of cable's most popular slates of original series, including The Alienist, Animal Kingdom, Claws, the upcoming I Am the Night, Snowpiercer, Tell Me Your Secrets, Raised by Wolves and The Angel of Darkness.  TNT also presents popular shows such as Arrow, Supernatural, Bones and Castle; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards® and the iHeartRadio Music Awards; and championship sports coverage, including the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Website: www.tntdrama.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/tntweknowdrama Facebook: www.facebook.com/TNTDrama Twitter: twitter.com/TNTDrama | TNT app available for iOS, Android and other platforms and devices. About Turner Turner, a WarnerMedia company, is a global entertainment, sports and news company that creates premium content and delivers exceptional experiences to fans whenever and wherever they consume content. These efforts are fueled by data-driven insights and industry-leading technology. Turner owns and operates some of the most valuable brands in the world, including Adult Swim, Bleacher Report, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, ELEAGUE, FilmStruck, Great Big Story, HLN, iStreamPlanet, Super Deluxe, TBS, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), TNT, truTV and Turner Sports.

TNT Picks Up Drama Pilots Constance and Beast Mode (wt)

TNT Picks Up Drama Pilots Constance and Beast Mode (wt) Constance from Sonar Entertainment to star Elisabeth Shue, written by KC Perry, directed by Jesse Peretz and executive produced by Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Amanda Burrell, Bill Dubuque, Tom Lesinski, Jenna Santoianni, Peretz, Shue and Perry Beast Mode is written and executive produced by David Schneiderman with executive producers Stefanie Huie and MACRO’s Charles D. King, Kim Roth and Poppy Hanks Turner's TNT has ordered the scripted dramas Constance and Beast Mode (working title) to pilot. KC Perry (The Originals) wrote Constance, which stars Academy Award nominee Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), with Emmy® nominee Jesse Peretz (Glow, Girls) attached to direct. Constance is produced by Team Downey, in association with Sonar Entertainment and Studio T, with Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey (Sherlock Holmes), Amanda Burrell, Bill Dubuque (Ozark), Tom Lesinski (Mr. Mercedes), Jenna Santoianni (Mr. Mercedes), Peretz, Shue and Perry serving as executive producers. Beast Mode is written and executive produced by David Schneiderman and produced by Ann Wolfe and MACRO in association with Studio T, with executive producers Stefanie Huie (Triangle) and MACRO’s Charles D. King (Mudbound), Kim Roth (Inside Man) and Poppy Hanks (Fences). Constance is a fun, darkly humorous, veneer-stripping story about one woman’s refusal to fade into obsolescence. It follows former beauty queen turned small town bureaucrat, Constance Young, whose life is thrown into turmoil after her husband’s mysterious death. Realizing she and her family are on the verge of financial ruin, Constance turns to cooking the books at City Hall, while simultaneously trying to reinvent herself through the hyper-competitive world of direct-sales cosmetics. In a different, but equally compelling tale of a woman on the edge, Beast Mode, inspired by the life of legendary boxing trainer Ann Wolfe, tells the story of a feisty, brilliant-yet-damaged woman with a “kill or be killed” mentality. While these qualities make her an excellent trainer, they tend to cause problems in the rest of her life. “Constance and Beast Mode exist in two radically different worlds, one of cosmetics and crime, and the other of elite boxing, but both pilots are about complicated, empowered women who are incredible forces of nature,” said Sarah Aubrey, executive vice president of original programming for TNT. “Their passion and ambition, mixed with a healthy dose of craziness, make them unforgettable characters that our viewers will love.” About Sonar Entertainment Sonar Entertainment is a leading independent entertainment studio that develops, produces, finances and distributes content for global audiences. Sonar Entertainment premium series include Mr. Mercedes, written by David E. Kelley, based on the novel by Stephen King, with AT&T Audience Network; The Son, starring Pierce Brosnan for AMC; Das Boot, an eight-part series inspired by the acclaimed movie, for Sky; scripted drama series The Hunt and documentary series Lorena, both produced with Jordan Peele for Amazon; scripted sci-fi comedy series Weird City, produced with Jordan Peele for YouTube Premium; and an A.I. documentary series produced with Robert Downey Jr. for YouTube Premium. Sonar Entertainment also distributes internationally, outside the UK, Taboo, for FX and BBC One, starring Tom Hardy and executive produced by Ridley Scott. Factual and lifestyle series include Texas Metal for Discovery and Food's Greatest Hits for Scripps. Sonar Kids and Family series include Counterfeit Cat, airing on Disney XD in the US, Teletoon in Canada, on Hulu and in over 200 countries worldwide; and Go Away, Unicorn! for Disney. About TNT TNT is basic cable's #1 network in primetime with young adults and is home to one of cable's most popular slates of original series, including The Alienist, Animal Kingdom, Claws, the upcoming I Am the Night, Snowpiercer and Tell Me Your Secrets. TNT also presents popular shows such as Arrow, Supernatural, Bones and Castle; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards® and the iHeartRadio Music Awards; and championship sports coverage, including the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Website: www.tntdrama.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/tntweknowdrama Facebook: www.facebook.com/TNTDrama Twitter: twitter.com/TNTDrama |  TNT app available for iOS, Android and other platforms and devices. About Turner Turner, a WarnerMedia company, is a global entertainment, sports and news company that creates premium content and delivers exceptional experiences to fans whenever and wherever they consume content. These efforts are fueled by data-driven insights and industry-leading technology. Turner owns and operates some of the most valuable brands in the world, including Adult Swim, Bleacher Report, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, ELEAGUE,  FilmStruck, Great Big Story, HLN, iStreamPlanet, Super Deluxe, TBS, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), TNT, truTV and Turner Sports.