Odds & Ends: Ariana DeBose to Produce & Star in Two and Only, a Queer Take on My Best Friend’s Wedding

Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed.

Ariana DeBose Lines Up New Project
Tony nominee and former Broadway.com vlogger Ariana DeBose, who is fresh off of winning an Oscar for West Side Story and being announced for Sony's Marvel movie Kraven the Hunter, will executive produce Screen Gems’ Two and Only, an original screenplay by Latina and LGBTQ+ writer Jen Rivas-DeLoose. According to Deadline, the project is being developed as a star vehicle for DeBose and is described as "My Best Friend’s Wedding with a bisexual, Latinx POV." Sad Unicorn’s Randall Einhorn, who directed the hit first season of ABC's Abbot Elementary, and Jeremy Stern are producing the project, which will be overseen at Screen Gems by Scott Strauss and Giselle Johnson.

Vanessa Hudgens, Ed Harris & More Join Sony's Downtown Owl Adaptation
Broadway alums have boarded Sony Pictures' adaptation of Chuck Klosterman’s Downtown Owl. Deadline reports that Vanessa Hudgens, Ed Harris, Finn Wittrock and Lily Rabe will star in the film, which is also co-directed by Rabe along with her partner and lontgtime collaborator Hamish Linklater. The story is set in 1983 in the fictional town of Owl, where one won’t find cable or pop culture but will find a downtown with a first-rate Chevrolet dealership, three bars and a new high school English teacher whose presence upends the lives of locals just in time for a white-out blizzard for the ages. The project is currently in production in Minnesota.

Stephanie Hsu Boards Peacock Series Poker Face
Everything Everywhere All at Once star and Broadway alum Stephanie Hsu has joined Natasha Lyonne and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Poker Face, the Peacock series created by Knives Out's Rian Johnson, according to Variety. Details about the series are being kept mum, but Lyonne's character will be working to solve murders in each episode. In addition to Everything Everywhere All at Once, Hsu, who has appeared on Broadway in Be More Chill and SpongeBob SquarePants, can also be seen on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Jason Gotay, Jessica Vosk & More Set for Joseph at The Muny
The Muny has announced casting for its upcoming staging of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Gossip Girl and Broadway alum Jason Gotay will take on the title role. Jessica Vosk (who had been teasing about reprising a role) will return to the role of The Narrator, which she played in the 50th anniversary Joseph celebration at Lincoln Center. Broadway alums Eric Jordan Young and Mykal Kilgore will play Jacob/Potiphar/Guru and Pharaoh, respectively. Directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, the show is scheduled to run at the outdoor venue from August 12 through August 18.

Jamie Lloyd's The Seagull Announces Complete Cast in London
Complete casting has been announced for Anya Reiss’ adaptation of The Seagull, starring Emilia Clarke and helmed by Jamie Lloyd. Joining Clarke as Nina, Tom Rhys Harries as Trigorin, Daniel Monks as Konstantin, Indira Varma as Arkadina and Sophie Wu as Masha are Jason Barnett as Shamrayev, Robert Glenister as Sorin, Mika Onyx Johnson as Medvedenko, Gerald Kyd as Dorn and Sara Powell as Polina, with understudies Katie Buchholz, Tina Harris, Joseph Langdon and David Lee-Jones. Performances will begin at the West End's Harold Pinter Theatre on June 29 and run through September 10. Opening night is scheduled for July 7.