super director

Natalie Portman and Mario Batali to Exec Produce Own TV Shows

Tony Krantz, TV producer turned director, is probably one of the busiest people in showbiz right now, spearheading eight separate projects, including series to be produced by the likes of Black Swan Oscar winner Natalie Portman, New York restaurateur Mario Batali, and former CNN president Jonathan Klein. Portman’s project at ABC is a sequel to the 1980 mini-series Scruples, about the rags-to-riches life of Wilhemina “Billy” Winthrop, which was penned by none other than Krantz’s mother, novelist Judith Krantz. Batali is working on Chops for the CW, a drama set in a (spoiler alert!) New York restaurant. As for Klein’s Live Shot Action for Fox, it is centered on an action-junkie foreign correspondent — which will hopefully mine the rich personal experiences of reporters in Libya and other Arab Spring countries. [Deadline]

Natalie Portman and Mario Batali to Exec Produce Own TV Shows