It looks like Christina Hendricks is dealing with her departure from Sterling Cooper & Partners by hitting the road. According to multiple sources, the Mad Men actress has joined the main cast of Roadies, a music-centric comedy created, written and to be directed by Jerry Maguire helmer Cameron Crowe for premium cable network Showtime.
Roadies follows the day-to-day life of individuals involved in a massively successful rock tour, as seen through the eyes of music’s unsung heroes – the crew members who make each show happen. Hendricks will take on the meaty role of Shelli, the band’s production manager, who is ““ingenious, tough, but privately emotional, married to her job… and scary-good at it.”
Luke Wilson, Imogen Poots, Rafe Spall, Peter Cambor and Keisha Castle-Hughes are also on board the ensemble series in main roles, but Hendricks’ involvement just makes us more excited for what’s sure to be a fascinating and very fun project for Showtime. Production on the one-hour comedy pilot is due to get underway in Vancouver next year.
Should Showtime choose to pick up Roadies to series (a near certainty given all the A-list talent involved), My So-Called Life creator Winnie Holzman would step in to serve as showrunner, seeing as Crowe is juggling many other plates as a film director back in Hollywood. Crowe will still be intimately involved and, alongside J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk, will serve as an executive-producer.
Check out the official press release below for more information on Hendricks’ casting.
NEW YORK, NY – December 15, 2014 – Five-time Emmy® Award nominee Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) will star in the new SHOWTIME pilot ROADIES, which follows the day-to-day life of a successful rock tour as seen through the eyes of music’s unsung heroes – the crew members who get the show on the road. Christina Hendricks will portray “Shelli,” the band’s production manager – Bill’s (Luke Wilson) ingenious work partner, tough, but privately emotional, married to her job… and scary-good at it. Luke Wilson (Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums), Imogen Poots (The Look of Love), Rafe Spall (One Day), Peter Cambor (NCIS: Los Angeles) and Academy Award® nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) were previously announced as stars of the ensemble cast. The one-hour comedy pilot will shoot in Vancouver in early 2015.
ROADIES follows a hot-ticket tour, but with a simple twist: the band is in the background and the roadies take the spotlight. It’s an inside look at the reckless, romantic, funny and often poignant lives of a committed group of characters who live for music and the de facto family they’ve formed along the way. Oscar® winner Cameron Crowe wrote and will direct and executive produce the pilot (for a potential series). Emmy and Tony® nominee Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life, Wicked, Huge), will executive produce and serve as showrunner, along with executive producers Emmy winners J.J. Abrams (Lost, Fringe, Person of Interest) and Bryan Burk (Lost, Fringe, Person of Interest). Kathy Lingg (Person of Interest, Fringe) is co-executive producer. ROADIES is produced by Bad Robot Productions, Vinyl Films and Dooley & Company Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Five-time Emmy Award nominee Christina Hendricks is best known for her tour de force performance as “Joan Harris” on Mad Men. Hendricks’ feature film credits include Drive, Ginger & Rosa, I Don’t Know How She Does It, Detachment and Life as We Know It. She will next be seen in Dark Places, opposite Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz and Nicholas Hoult, and in John Slattery’s Sundance film God’s Pocket opposite the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hendricks also stars in the lead role in Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut, Lost River, which recently premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival.
