While Christina Hendricks just recently wrapped shooting the final episode of Mad Men, the actress has already lined up a prestigious follow-up project. Hendricks has joined the cast of the new Showtime pilot Roadies, which was created, written, and will be directed by filmmaker Cameron Crowe. The show 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 make each show happen. Hendricks will play a character named Shelli, the band’s production manager, who is described as “ingenious, tough, but privately emotional, married to her job… and scary-good at it.” The cast was already filling out quite nicely with Luke Wilson, Imogen Poots, and Rafe Spall onboard, but Hendricks makes a positively excellent addition. More after the jump.
While Crowe created Roadies and will be intimately involved in the series as an executive producer, Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life) is set to serve as showrunner should Showtime pick it up to series. J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk are also executive producing, with production on the one-hour comedy pilot set to get underway in Vancouver in early 2015.
Read the full press release below:
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.