Annie Gonzalez, Sofia Capanna Join ABC Comedy Pilot ‘Bucktown’

EXCLUSIVE: Katya Martín (My First Miracle) is set as a lead opposite John Ortiz and Andres Velez in ABC’s drama pilot Promised Land.

EXCLUSIVE: Tonatiuh (Vida) is set as a lead opposite John Ortiz in ABC’s drama pilot Promised Land.

Mónica Marie Zorrilla Alexander Hodge will guest star in ABC’s drama pilot “Epic,” hailing from “Once Upon a Time” creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis. The actor joins previously announced lead cast members Eleanor Fanyinka (“Masters of Love,” “Holby City”) and Brittany O’Grady (“Little Voice,” “Star”) in the ABC Signature production.“Epic” is described as a romantic anthology series that reinvents fairytales for a new audience.

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Cuesta (Homeland) has been tapped to direct and executive produce ABC’s drama pilot Promised Land.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCecilia Suárez and Augusto Aguilera have joined the ABC drama pilot “Promised Land,” Variety has learned.The show is described as an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.

Friends before fame! Celebrities including Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie were childhood pals before becoming Hollywood stars.

John Ortiz (HBO’s Togetherness) has been tapped as a main lead of ABC’s drama pilot Promised Land.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJohn Ortiz has been cast in a leading role of the ABC drama pilot “Promised Land,” Variety has learned.The show is described as an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley. Ortiz joins previously announced cast members Christina Ochoa and Mariel Molino.Ortiz will star as Joe Sandoval, the patriarch of the Sandoval family, a wealthy vineyard-owning family in the Sonoma Valley.

Mónica Marie Zorrilla Brittany O’Grady will headline ABC’s drama pilot “Epic,” hailing from “Once Upon a Time” creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis. The actor joins previously announced cast member Eleanor Fanyinka (“Masters of Love,” “Holby City,”) in the ABC Signature production.“Epic” is described as a romantic anthology series that reinvents fairy tales for a new audience.

After growing up as the daughter of Lionel Richie and little sister to Nicole Richie, it’s safe to say Sofia is used to a life in the spotlight. So, it should probably come as no surprise that this star-studded life has included some celebrity romances along the way.

EXCLUSIVE: Andres Velez (Coyote Lake) has been cast as a lead alongside Christina Ochoa and Mariel Molino in ABC’s drama pilot Promised Land.

Gentefied‘s Annie Gonzalez and newcomer Sofia Capanna are set as series regulars opposite Shannon Woodward, Jane Lynch and Nicole Richie in ABC comedy pilot Bucktown, from The Conners‘ Emily Wilson, Tom Werner and Sara Gilbert and ABC Signature.

Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott, the creative team behind the well-reviewed indie Shiva Baby, have set their next feature. Seligman and Sennott will co-write high school sex comedy Bottoms for MGM's Orion Pictures, with Seligman directing and Sennott starring.Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman's Brownstone Productions is set to produce.

EXCLUSIVE: Workaholics and I’m Dying Up Here alum Erik Griffin is set as a lead opposite Shannon Woodward, Jane Lynch and Nicole Richie in ABC comedy pilot Bucktown, from The Conners‘ Emily Wilson, Tom Werner and Sara Gilbert and ABC Signature.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNatalia Anderson will direct the ABC single-camera comedy pilot “Maggie,” Variety has learned exclusively.Anderson started out as a director and producer on the CBS comedy series “Life in Pieces,” directing multiple episodes. Other TV directing credits for Anderson include “Black-ish,” “Single Parents,” “Brews Brothers,” “Grown-ish,” “American Housewife,” and “Perfect Harmony.” She previously worked at Brownstone Productions under Elizabeth Banks.

EXCLUSIVE: Angelique Cabral (Life in Pieces), Chloe Bridges (The Carrie Diaries) and Kerri Kenney (Reno 911) are set as series regulars opposite Rebecca Rittenhouse in ABC comedy pilot Maggie, based on Tim Curcio’s short film. The project hails from Family Guy and Life in Pieces writer Maggie Mull, daughter of Clue actor Martin Mull, and Life in Pieces creator Justin Adler. 20th Television produces. Additionally, Natalia Anderson (Life in Pieces) has been tapped to direct the pilot.

EXCLUSIVE: David Del Rio (The Baker and the Beauty), Chris Elliott (Schitt’s Creek), Ray Ford (Don’t Trust the B— in Apt. 23) and Leonardo Nam (Westworld) are set as series regulars opposite Rebecca Rittenhouse in ABC comedy pilot Maggie, based on Tim Curcio’s short film. The project hails from Family Guy and Life in Pieces writer Maggie Mull, daughter of Clue actor Martin Mull, and Life in Pieces creator Justin Adler. 20th Television produces.

EXCLUSIVE: Joe Alwyn and Dean-Charles Chapman have joined the cast of Catherine Called Birdy, which has Lena Dunham writing and directing. Andrew Scott and Bella Ramsey are also on board. The project is a Working Title Films production in association with Good Thing Going with Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Jo Wallett producing. Liz Watson and Michael P. Cohen are serving as executive producers.

EXCLUSIVE: Mariel Molino has been cast as a lead alongside Christina Ochoa in ABC’s drama pilot Promised Land.

Deadline, a synopsis for the show - which has been created by Emily Wilson, Sara Gilbert and Tom Werner, the team behind The Conners - reads: 'Bucktown centers on Amy, who, after being dumped by her boyfriend and kicked out of her apartment on the eve of a big promotion, finds refuge at her mom's house in the blue-collar neighborhood where she grew up.