Woody Allen may have described his Amazon TV series as a “catastrophic mistake” in the past, but casting seems to be moving forward just fine. Several new cast members have recently been announced, according to Deadline, including Michael Rapaport (Public Morals), Becky Ann Baker (Girls), Lewis Black (The Daily Show), Margaret Ladd (Falcon Crest), Joy Behar (The View), Rebecca Schull (Wings), David Harbour (Black Mass), and Christine Ebersole (Amadeus).
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the story reportedly takes place in the 1960s and filming began earlier this month in New York. The cast already includes singer-slash-actress Miley Cyrus, in addition to Elaine May, who last appeared in Allen’s 2000 film Small Time Crooks; John Magaro, who co-starred in 2012’s Not Fade Away; and Rachel Brosnahan, one of the stars of Netflix’s House of Cards. Allen himself will appear in the series as well, on top of serving as creator, writer, and director.
The show is a first for Allen. Although the filmmaker’s long career has been filled with commercial and critical success, his involvement in TV has been relatively limited. As such, he has been open about the challenges the new format has posed, even joking in the past that Amazon Studios may come to regret their decision to work with him on it.
For its part, the studio doesn’t appear to be exhibiting signs of buyer’s remorse. In fact, Amazon Studios acquired North American rights to Allen’s latest film project in February. The untitled project is a romantic comedy featuring an ensemble cast composed of Steve Carell, Blake Lively, and Kristen Stewart, among others.
A premiere date has not yet been announced for Allen’s Amazon series, which is executive produced by Erika Aronson and produced by Helen Robin.