EXCLUSIVE: It could have easily gotten lost in the shuffle. Matthew Carnahan’s half-hour script House of Lies, set in the world of corporate management consulting, was put in development under previous Showtime entertainment president Robert Greenblatt and was turned in just as the pay cable network was undergoing a regime change in the summer. But new Showtime programming chief David Nevins read it shortly after he started and got behind it right away, putting the project on the fact track and attaching Emmy winner
Stephen Hopkins to direct it. Now I hear Nevins is eying it as his potential second pilot order following the pickup of drama Homeland starring Claire Danes. The green light is contingent on locking in the lead, which may not be far off. I hear Don Cheadle is in talks to star in the project, which is described as a sophisticated dark comedy about Marty, a thirtysomething top management consultant who is cutthroat and not afraid to play dirty. Dirt creator Carnahan is executive producing House of Lies with Jessika Borsiczky (FlashForward). Production on Homeland, which just cast Mandy Patinkin opposite Danes, starts on January 10 in Charlotte N.C.
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Love Don C. He can do anything. Dirt was a very, very not good show though.
Don Cheadle as a lead? Please, no. Can’t stand him trying be so MOFO as a gangsta and he ruined Iron Man 2.
I got a sneak of the script and it’s fantastic. And I love Cheadle, so this should be a cool look at the strange profession.
This is great news, Don C. is a great actor.
I still can’t figure out why any series’ sign Mandy Patinkin anymore. While is a gifted actor, he always seems to need to resign from series just when they are building a head of steam. I sure hope they put huge penalties in his contract in the even he decides to pull that crap again. With so many people clamoring for jobs in the industry, that diva-like behavior really puts the crew’s livelihoods at risk.
Carnahan as showrunner and Cheadle starring? Emmy emmy emmy emmy emmy