- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
ABC’s midseason soap Astronaut Wives Club is making a behind-the-scenes change.
Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig has replaced director Nick Cassavetes, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Astronaut Wives, which was picked up straight to series with a 10-episode commitment, was originally intended to air in the summer. The drama, from Fake Empire’s Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz, was pushed back to midseason. Cassavetes (The Notebook) was poised to make his TV directing debut and helm the pilot, but after the shift to midseason, production moved from last spring to the fall and he had other commitments.
Scherfig (An Education) will now oversee the pilot and make her U.S. TV directing debut. She directed Carey Mulligan in Indie Spirit winner An Education and was nominated for a BAFTA for her directing work on the Oscar-nominated film. Her credits include Italian for Beginners and One Day.
The 1960s-set drama tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history during the height of the space race. The drama marks the first pilot Savage has written since she co-created The CW’s long-running Gossip Girl with Schwartz. The project is based on Lily Koppel‘s best-selling novel published last summer. Janice Williams brought the project to Groundswell. Odette Annable, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Dominique McElligott, Desmond Harrington and Bret Harrison star.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day