According to Deadline, Empire‘s Ryan Michelle Bathe (This Is Us) has joined the cast of Paramount Network‘s comedy drama series reboot of the 1996 Paramount film First Wives Club. Bathe will be the show’s third lead star alongside Grammy winner Jill Scott (Why Did I Get Married?, Black Lightning) and comedian Michelle Buteau (Key and Peele).
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The First Wives Club was a comedy film based on Olivia Goldsmith’s bestselling novel of the same name which stars award-winning actresses Diane Keaton (Annie Hall), Goldie Hawn (Cactus Flower, Private Benjamin), and Bette Midler (For the Boys, Gypsy). The film follows the story of three friends who have lost in touch with one another but reconnected afters so many years due to the sudden death of their friend Cynthia played by Tony Award winning actress Stockard Channing.
The series like the film will also be based in New York City which will follow the story of three women: Ari (Bathe); Bree (Buteau), a music superstar who has faded from the limelight; and Hazel (Scott) a overwhelmed mom and doctor who hasn’t let loose in years. They will band together after their marriages fall apart while finding strength in their sisterhood and of course a little revenge.
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Bree’s character Ari is described as a stylish and confident type-A attorney. She was supposed to make partner but sidestepped her career to support her husband’s political ambitions and also in order to raise their two kids. When a crisis reunites her with her best friends from college, she will use her legal skills to help them reclaim their independence and rekindle the camaraderie of their college glory days.
The First Wives Club reboot is a 10-episode series executive produced by Girls’ Trip co-writer Tracy Oliver and Paramount Television. Oliver is also set to write for the series. Karen Rosenfelt and Tony Hernandez of JAX Media along with Scott Rudin ,who was the producer on the First Wives Club film, are the show’s executive producers.
The series will start filming in New York City this fall and is slated for a January 2019 release.
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
