the industry

Industry Roundup: Anna Friel, Wolf Parade

Friel Teams With Cooper: Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies) is in negotiations to join Bradley Cooper in Neil Burger’s thriller Dark Fields. The story centers on a writer (Cooper) who obtains “a top-secret pharmaceutical drug that makes [people] smarter”; however, before long, he realizes the drug has “lethal and lasting” side effects. Friel will play Cooper’s ex-wife, a woman who was a “go-getter before their breakup” and is presumably a forlorn slacker now, forced to see pictures of Cooper and Renee Zellweger on the cover of every tabloid. [HR]

Wolves Go To Expo: Wolf Parade will release its third album, titled Expo 86, in late June or early July. The Montreal band will tour in support of the album this spring and summer in North America and Europe. The name of the album comes from the 1986 World’s fair in Vancouver, but don’t waste your time searching for meaning in the title: vocalist Dan Boeckner admitted, “I don’t think there’s any relation to the significance of the album title with the song content.” [Pitchfork]

Martins Get Roles: Married couple Tisha Campbell-Martin and Duane Martin have both scored roles on upcoming comedy pilots. Campbell-Martin will join Debra Messing’s Wright vs. Wrong (ABC) as a “political personality who appears tough and espouses a right-wing agenda but behind the scenes is consumed by her foibles and flaws.” Martin will play a restaurant owner in Paul Reiser’s Next (NBC). We’re guessing the Martins would be way more pumped about their new co-stars if it was 1998. [HR]

The Game To Be Revived: BET is expected to announce at its upfront presentation later this month that it is resurrecting The Game, the CW sitcom which was canceled last year. The show, which was a spin-off from the long-running Girlfriends, will air with original episodes and will feature most of the same cast members, including Tia Mowry… which makes us wish BET was resurrecting Sister, Sister instead. [HR]

Heller Enters Director’s Chair: Jack Heller, one of the principals of managing-production group Caliber Media, will make his directing debut with Enter Nowhere, a film about four strangers who find themselves in a “deserted, supernatural forest” and must take shelter in an abandoned cabin. The film stars Katherine Waterston, Scott Eastwood and Sara Paxton, who are, respectively, the offspring of Sam Waterston, Clint Eastwood… and some guy who is not Bill Paxton. [HR]

Industry Roundup: Anna Friel, Wolf Parade