(WASHINGTON) — The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has promised to reveal new information in prime time Thursday as it seeks to capture the public’s attention and lay out how it says American democracy came close to being subverted.
Summing up an 11-month-long investigation, Thursday’s hearing kicks off at 8 p.m. EDT and will be the first of six this month where the committee says it will explain a “multi-step, coordinated attempt” by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and, for the time in U.S history, stop a peaceful transfer of power.
The nine-member panel has collected more than 140,000 documents and 1,000 witness interviews throughout the course of the investigation, and members have promised to introduce never-before-seen videos and exhibits that they say will shock the public.
ABC News Television Network will air special coverage of the hearing at 8 p.m. EDT, and ABC News Live will carry gavel-to-gavel coverage of each hearing in June.
“There’s a lot that’s unseen,” one committee aide said Wednesday in a briefing with reporters. “The select committee is also going to lay out a clear indication of ongoing threats to American democracy.”
What is the select committee and who sits on it?
A select committee is a congressional committee appointed to perform a special function beyond the capacity of an already standing committee. For example, Americans might remember a House select committee was previously formed to investigate the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi.
After Senate Republicans killed a proposal for an independent, bipartisan commission that would have given Republicans equal representation to investigate the Capitol attack — similar to what Congress approved after the Sept. 11 attacks — the House voted to form a select committee last summer.
The panel was designed to consist of 13 members, with five appointed in consultation with the minority leader, but after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s committee nominees — Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and Indiana Rep. Jim Banks — over concerns false statements they made around the 2020 election — McCarthy pulled all five of his nominees. Echoing language used by Trump, he deemed the investigation a “sham process” before it began.
Pelosi ultimately appointed the only two Republicans who voted in favor of the committee — Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois — and seven Democrats — Chairman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Zoe Lofgren of California, Adam Schiff of California, Pete Aguilar of California, Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Elaine Luria, of Virginia — to probe the insurrection.
“It’s bipartisan, and we have a quorum. Staff is being hired to do the job,” Pelosi said at the time. “We’re there to get the truth, not to get Trump.”
Nearly a year later, Americans can expect different lawmakers of the nine-member committee to take the lead on various hearing days to guide the presentations.
What can viewers expect to see Thursday?
Aides described the first major public hearing in prime time as a “preview” of what to expect in subsequent hearings.
Witnesses planned for Thursday include documentary filmmaker Nick Quested, who was embedded with the extremist far-right group the Proud Boys during the assault on the Capitol, and Capitol Police officer Caroline Edwards, who suffered a traumatic brain injury during the attack when rioters pushed her to the ground.
“We’re going to learn about where they were at that time when these rioters initially breached the Capitol,” a committee aide told reporters.
The panel will also feature new excerpts of videotaped interviews with Trump administration and White House officials, Trump campaign officials and Trump’s family members. ABC has reported previously that daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner and son Donald Trump Jr. have all testified.
Unlike other congressional hearings, Thursday will be a mixture of live and taped testimony and blockbuster video production, designed to capture the public’s attention.
Former ABC News President James Goldston, a seasoned television executive, started working with the committee several weeks ago to help produce the hearing, a development first reported by Axios and confirmed to ABC News by congressional sources. The committee declined to comment on “personnel matters” when asked about the decision to enlist Goldston’s help.
While most major news networks are expected to carry Thursday’s hearing live in their prime-time slot, Fox News announced this week that their prime-time programs will only cover the hearings “as news warrants.” Instead, Fox Business will be covering the hearings live, stirring backlash. Fox News averaged 1.5 million viewers at any given time last month, while Fox Business averaged 136,000.
When are the next hearings?
The select committee’s next hearings are slated for Monday, June 13, and Wednesday, June 15. Both begin at 10 a.m.
The committee has not yet finalized witnesses for the next hearings, but they could include state election officials, ex-Trump Justice Department officials who pushed back on attempts to investigate voter fraud, and even White House lawyers familiar with Trump’s attempts to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election results.
With at least three other hearings planned for June, the committee has also not ruled out the possibility of adding more hearings in the future.
It also plans to release a full report on its findings, including legislative recommendations on reforms, at some point this fall — coinciding with the 2022 midterm elections.
Is this the first hearing?
Although Thursday marks the panel’s first hearing in prime time, it is not the first public hearing.
The select committee held its first hearing last July, when lawmakers heard dramatic, emotional accounts from law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 and said they feared for their lives.
“I sat down on the bench in the Rotunda with a friend of mine, who is also a Black Capitol Police officer and told him about the racial slurs I endured. I became very emotional and began yelling, ‘How the blank could something like this happen? Is this America?'” recounted Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn. “I began sobbing.”
In her opening statement that day, Cheney made the committee’s intentions clear.
“We cannot leave the violence of January 6th and its causes uninvestigated,” she said. “If those responsible are not held accountable, and if Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our constitutional republic.”
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice said Thursday it was opening an investigation into Louisiana State Police to determine whether its officers engaged in regular use of excessive force or racially discriminatory policing.
Accusations of excessive use of force by LSP officers, especially against Black people, go as far back as 2019. Ronald Greene died in May 2019 after failing to stop for an unspecified traffic violation and subsequently leading LSP on a chase in northern Louisiana, near Monroe.
The family has disputed the police report and released photos of Greene from after the incident showing what appear to be multiple bruises and lacerations around his face and head. In body camera audio obtained by ABC News in 2020, a trooper can be heard saying, “I beat the ever-living f— out of him,” and, “Choked him and everything else trying to get him under control.”
The DOJ’s civil investigation will review the LSP’s policies, training and supervision. The DOJ will also look into LSP’s systems of accountability, including misconduct complaint intake, investigation, review, disposition and discipline.
“Based on an extensive review of publicly available information and information provided to us, we find significant justification to investigate whether Louisiana State Police engages in excessive force and engages in racially discriminatory policing against Black residents and other people of color,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, LSP Col. Lamar Davis and Deputy General Counsel Gail Holland have all been informed of the investigation and pledged to cooperate, the Justice Department said.
“Protecting the civil rights of all Americans and building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve are among the Justice Department’s most important responsibilities,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The governor’s office and LSP did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
(WASHINGTON) — Cassidy Hutchinson, a member of Mark Meadows’ staff when Meadows was Donald Trump’s chief of staff, has hired Jody Hunt to represent her as the public Jan. 6 hearings begin, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.
At the start of the Trump administration, Hunt served as chief of staff to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Hunt later became the head of Department of Justice’s Civil Division.
Members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack are actively negotiating with Hutchinson for her public testimony during the upcoming committee hearings, sources with knowledge of the matter told ABC News.
If Hutchinson agrees to appear publicly, she will put a voice to many of the interactions involving Jan. 6 that have been reported publicly, and offer significant insight into Meadows’ actions and interactions with the former president on Jan. 6 and in the days before and after, the sources said.
During earlier depositions with the committee, Hutchinson confirmed to committee investigators accounts that Meadows had burned documents in his office, according to sources.
It was not immediately clear the contents of what Meadows is alleged to have burned, or whether his actions as described by witnesses constitute anything illegal.
ABC News previously reported that the committee is negotiating with former White House counsel Pat Cipollone for his public testimony. Should either Hutchinson or Cipollone agree to testify, it would mark the first witness to publicly appear before the committee who was physically in the West Wing on Jan. 6.
Dustin Lynch has seen some pretty wild fan hijinks on the road, but the most unforgettable encounter he ever had was with a woman at his show who found a creative use for her prosthetic limb.
“This young lady took her prosthetic off, and poured her beer in it, and chugged out of her prosthetic,” the singer recounts to CMT, as part of a compilation of country stars sharing their craziest fan stories.
But Dustin was as impressed as he was surprised by the sight, he says.
“That’s just a flex,” he says. “If you can do that at a party, I don’t know how you can be topped. That beats the hell out of a funnel, so hats off to you, girl in Georgia.”
Check out the full video — which also features Carly Pearce and Thomas Rhett sharing their craziest fan experiences — on Twitter.
In advance of the record, Paich has released one of the tracks, the soaring, enigmatic “Spirit of the Moonrise,” as a digital single. He’s also debuted a lyric video for the song at Toto’s YouTube channel.
Forgotten Toys, which can be preordered now, features seven tracks co-produced by Paich and Toto frontman Joseph Williams. It features contributions from various well-known artists, including Williams, Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, Michael McDonald, ex-Eagles guitarist Don Felder, Brian Eno, Elton John guitarist Davey Johnstone, Ray Parker Jr. and Rolling Stones touring drummer Steve Jordan.
Paich co-wrote “Spirit of the Moonrise” with Williams, who also contributes backing vocals to the track, along with McDonald. The song also features lead guitar from Lukather.
“This is a recurring dream about a distraught girl, riding neath the moonlight,” Paich says about the tune. “It has perplexed me over many a night.”
Forgotten Toys came together when Paich — who has written or co-written many of Toto’s biggest hits — decided to flesh out various songs ideas he’d held onto for many years.
“It seemed like it was time to put something together,” Paich says. “Some of these really are forgotten toys. It had been a while since I’ve been in my studio and I found myself listening to these little pieces continuously. I kept rediscovering them, hoping to fit the tracks together like a musical puzzle.”
Paich, who recently retired from full-time touring, still joins Toto at select shows. He tells ABC Audio that he’ll play at least one concert with the group during its upcoming European summer trek, which kicks off July 11 in Tilburg, Netherlands.
Here’s the full track list of Forgotten Toys:
“Forward”
“willibelongtoyou”
“Spirit of the Moonrise”
“First Time”
“Queen Charade”
“All the Tears That Shine”
“Lucy”
Days after fans made Stranger Things 4: Volume 1 one of the biggest titles in Netflix’s history came Thursday’s follow-up teaser.
“It is over, Eleven,” Jamie Campbell Bower‘s villainous Vecna tells Millie Bobby Brown‘s character. “You have freed me. You can’t stop this now.”
As her heroine struggles to get her powers back, her allies, including Galen Matarazzo‘s Dustin and David Harbour‘s Jim Hopper, do what they can to keep the Upside Down out of our world.
The snippet was released as part of Netflix’s ongoing Geek Week event.
The second part of the show’s fourth season drops Friday, July 1.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 09, 1:59 pm
Ukraine’s defense chief pleads for more ‘heavy weapons’
Up to 100 Ukrainian soldiers are killed and another 500 are injured each day, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.
Reznikov said in a Facebook post Thursday that Russia has “many more means in store to devour human lives in a bid to satisfy its imperial ego.”
“That is why we emphasize: Ukraine desperately needs heavy weapons, and very fast,” Reznikov said.
Among the weapons he’s requesting are “fighter jets, anti-aircraft and missile defence systems to protect our skies.”
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jun 09, 8:55 am
Battle in key city to determine fate of eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
The fight for the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk will determine the fate of the wider Donbas region, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Severodonetsk remains the epicenter of the confrontation in Donbas. We defend our positions, inflict significant losses on the enemy,” Zelenskyy said late Wednesday in his nightly address. “This is a very fierce battle, very difficult. Probably one of the most difficult throughout this war. I am grateful to everyone who defends this direction. In many ways, the fate of our Donbas is being decided there.”
After launching an invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, Russian forces failed to take control of the capital, Kyiv, and other major government centers as they faced tough resistance from Ukrainian troops. Russian forces then switched attention to Donbas, which comprises the self-proclaimed republics controlled by Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.
Severodonetsk, an industrial hub, is the largest city still held by Ukrainian troops in contested Donbas. In recent days, Russian forces have encircled the city as they advanced in the region, creating a pocket that could trap Ukrainian defenders there and in the neighboring city of Lysychansk.
Severodonetsk and Lysychansk are the last major cities in the Luhansk area still controlled by Ukraine. Last week, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update that Russian forces had seized most of Severodonetsk, but that the main road into the pocket likely remained under Ukrainian control.
Jun 09, 7:32 am
Mariupol residents face risk of cholera epidemic under Russian occupation
The port city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine is facing the risk of a cholera epidemic amid the destruction of water supplies and sanitation during the Russian invasion, city officials and health agencies warn.
“The risk of cholera is very high, like red, red level,” Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to Mariupol’s mayor, told ABC News, adding that the municipality could not provide an estimation of the number of infected cases due to lack of proper access to the occupants amid the occupation by Russian forces.
While the warnings have intensified in the past few days, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said on Telegram last month that due to problems with water supply, the Russian occupied city is threatened by an infectious catastrophe and more than 10,000 people may die by the end of the year.
The deteriorating water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure has set an alarmingly high risk of an outbreak, according to a report in April from the World Health Organization’s Health Cluster Ukraine agency.
The warming spring and summer weather will likely increase transmission, the report said.
“The weather is hot. There are still dead bodies on the streets of the city — especially under the debris of residential buildings. In some blocks, it is impossible to walk by — due to the stench of rotten human flesh. There was no rain for a while, and it is getting hotter,” a resident of Mariupol, who did not want to be named for security concerns, told ABC News.
Jun 08, 12:53 pm
Russian-occupied Mariupol faces ‘catastrophic lack of medical staff’
The Russian-occupied city of Mariupol, Ukraine, is facing a “catastrophic lack of medical staff,” Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said on the Telegram app.
He said Russians are trying to convince locals who are over 80 years old to go back to work at hospitals.
He warned, “In this state of medicine, any infectious disease turns into a deadly epidemic.”
Jun 08, 8:36 am
Putin-Zelenskyy meeting not possible, Kremlin says
A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not currently possible, the Kremlin said.
When asked about a recent comment from Zelenskyy that he’s willing to meet with Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Our position is well-known here: good preparations need to be made for a top-level meeting. We know that the Ukrainian side has withdrawn from the negotiation track, and therefore it is currently not possible to prepare for this sort of top-level meeting.”
Jun 08, 5:06 am
Ukrainian defenses in key eastern city ‘holding,’ despite Russian attacks
Ukrainian troops defending the eastern city of Sieverodonetsk are “holding,” despite attacks in three directions from Russian forces, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Wednesday in an intelligence update.
“Russia continues to attempt assaults against the Sieverodonetsk pocket from three directions although Ukrainian defences are holding,” the ministry said. “It is unlikely that either side has gained significant ground in the last 24 hours.”
Sieverodonetsk, an industrial hub, is the largest city still held by Ukrainian troops in the contested Donbas region of Ukraine’s east, which comprises the self-proclaimed republics in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. In recent days, Russian forces have encircled the city as they advanced in Donbas, creating a pocket that could trap Ukrainian defenders there and in the neighboring city of Lysychansk.
Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk are the last major cities in the Luhansk area still controlled by Ukraine.
Last week, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Russian forces had seized most of Sieverodonetsk, but that the main road into the pocket likely remained under Ukrainian control.
With the frontage of the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine stretching for over 300 miles, “both Russia and Ukraine face similar challenges in maintaining a defensive line while freeing up capable combat units for offensive operations,” according to the ministry.
“While Russia is concentrating its offensive on the central Donbas sector, it has remained on the defensive on its flanks,” the ministry said in its intelligence update Wednesday. “Ukrainian forces have recently achieved some success by counter-attacking in the south-western Kherson region, including regaining a foothold on the eastern bank of the Ingulets River.”
Jun 07, 3:12 pm
At least 3 dead in shelling in Kharkiv
At least three people were killed and six others were injured in the Kharkiv area from ongoing shelling by Russian forces, according to the Kharkiv regional governor, Oleg Synegubov.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jun 07, 11:48 am
Ukraine official: Hard to win ‘without speeding up the supply of modern weapons’
Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine’s secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, told ABC News that “it will be difficult for Ukraine to win this war without speeding up the supply of modern weapons.”
He added, “The country is ready for long-term resistance, because we are fighting for our freedom.”
This comes as the Donetsk People’s Republic claims an advance in territory.
DPR Foreign Minister Natalia Nikonorova told reporters, “We can say that the allied forces — the DPR militia and units of the Russian Defense Ministry — are in control of over 70% of the territory.”
Jun 07, 11:02 am
Ukrainian grain may be leaving ports — but on Russian ships
There is evidence of Russian vessels departing “from near Ukraine with their cargo holds full of grain,” a U.S. Department of State spokesperson told ABC News on Monday night.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that Russia seized at least 400,000 to 500,000 tons of grain worth over $100 million, according to the State Department spokesperson.
“Ukraine’s MFA also has numerous testimonies from Ukrainian farmers and documentary evidence showing Russia’s theft of Ukrainian grain,” the spokesperson said.
The news of Ukrainian grain aboard Russian ships partly confirms a recent report by The New York Times that Moscow is seeking to profit off of grain plundered from Ukraine by selling the product while subverting sanctions. Ukraine has already accused Russia of shipping the stolen grain to buyers in Syria and Turkey.
Russia and Ukraine — often referred to collectively as Europe’s breadbasket — produce a third of the global supply of wheat and barley, but Kyiv has been unable to ship exports due to Moscow’s offensive. A Russian blockade in the Black Sea, along with Ukrainian naval mines, have made exporting siloed grain virtually impossible and, as a result, millions of people around the world — particularly in Africa and the Middle East — are now on the brink of famine.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Jun 06, 12:26 pm
Two planes owned by Russian oligarch grounded by US prosecutors
Two planes — a Gulfstream G650 and a Boeing 787 — have been grounded after federal prosecutors said their owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, violated U.S. sanctions by flying the aircraft to Moscow in March.
The sanctions require a license for any U.S.-made aircraft to fly to Russia. The sanctions also prohibit an aircraft that is owned, controlled or under charter or lease by a Russian national from being flown to Russia.
“No licenses were applied for or issued. Nor was any license exception available, including because the Boeing and the Gulfstream were each owned and/or controlled by a Russian national: Roman Abramovich,” said the affidavit supporting a seizure warrant.
The Boeing plane is believed to be among the most expensive private aircraft in the world, worth $350 million, the affidavit said.
Jun 06, 9:05 am
Russia beefs up air defense on Snake Island
Russia has likely moved multiple air defense assets, including SA-15 and SA-22 missile systems, to Snake Island in the western Black Sea, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Monday in an intelligence update.
The move follows the loss of the Russian warship Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
“It is likely these weapons are intended to provide air defence for Russian naval vessels operating around Snake Island,” the ministry added. “Russia’s activity on Snake Island contributes to its blockade of the Ukrainian coast and hinders the resumption of maritime trade, including exports of Ukrainian grain.”
Russian forces captured Ukraine’s Snake Island in the early days of the invasion, memorably when Ukrainian soldiers defending the tiny islet told an attacking Russian warship to “go f— yourself.” Ukrainian troops have failed in their attempts to retake the previously inconsequential territory.
Meanwhile, in eastern Ukraine’s contested Donbas region, heavy fighting continues in the war-torn city of Sieverodonetsk, according to the ministry.
“Russian forces continue to push towards Sloviansk as part of their attempted encirclement of Ukrainian force,” the ministry said.
And in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, Russian air-launched cruise missiles struck rail infrastructure Sunday in the early morning hours, “likely in an attempt [to] disrupt the supply of Western military equipment to frontline Ukrainian units,” according to the ministry.
Jun 05, 3:39 pm
Russian missiles target Kyiv
After five weeks of relative calm in Kyiv, Russian rockets hit Ukraine’s capital city on Sunday as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of strikes on “new targets” if the United States goes through with plans to supply Ukraine with longer-range missiles.
Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said the war is still in its “hot phase” and “capturing Kyiv is still Russia’s main goal.”
An ABC News crew visited Kyiv’s Darnytskyy district, where several Russian cruise missiles slammed into a railway repair plant. One building was still on fire when the ABC News crew arrived. Nearby, another missile strike left a creater on a cement path.
It took hours before Ukrainian authorities permitted media access to the site, saying the area needed to be cleared for safety first.
The Russians claimed the attack in Darnystskyy destroyed military vehicles and armaments. Ukrainian officials said the missiles hit a railway repair plant where no tanks were stored.
Speaking on Russian TV on Sunday, Putin issued a warning to the West on supplying the Ukrainians with high-powered rocket systems. He said if the West carried through with it, Russia would hit “new targets they had not attacked before.”
Jun 05, 7:05 am
Putin warns of strikes if West supplies longer-range missiles
President Vladimir Putin warned that Russian forces would strike new targets if the West began supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles.
“But if they [missiles] are actually delivered, we will draw appropriate conclusions and apply our own weapons, which we have in sufficient quantities to carry out strikes on targets we aren’t striking yet,” Putin told Rossyia 1 TV Channel in an interview on Sunday.
Rod Stewart was one of the performers at the Platinum Party at the Palace, the star-studded concert celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee over the weekend. Rod was criticized for his performance of the Neil Diamond hit “Sweet Caroline” at the event, with some saying he sounded off-key. Now his wife, Penny Lancaster, is defending him, saying the rock legend was just recovering from COVID.
Appearing on the British TV show Loose Women Thursday, Penny explained that the BBC insisted that Rod sing “Sweet Caroline” — a British soccer anthem — by telling him it was the queen’s favorite. “So he didn’t have much of a choice there,” Penny noted.
Rod said as much during the show, literally telling the crowd, “The BBC made me sing it, join in and make it comfortable for me.”
But in addition to Rod singing a song he wasn’t comfortable with, Penny said there were other extenuating circumstances.
“It was very, very touch and go and he was so nervous leading up to it,” she said. “He [had performed for] three weeks in Vegas and caught COVID just after the last show. He came home and was past the 10-day period of being contagious but he lost his voice. So the sound check on the Wednesday — he went along and wore a mask but had no voice.”
She added, “So he went for another rehearsal on the Friday … he wasn’t quite on, but he didn’t want to disappoint anybody. It wasn’t the Rod Stewart show; it was for the nation and for everybody to come together for the queen and he wanted to please the people, so that was the song.”
On Rod’s Instagram, he only posted the other song he performed: his hit “Baby Jane.”
Colin Farrell will star in and executive produce an Apple TV+ series called Sugar, ABC Audio has confirmed.
The show is described as a “genre-bending series” created by I Am Legend and Thor writer Mark Protosevich, who is also producing with the actor.
The show is just the latest small-screen project for the True Detective star Farrell, who as reported will also be starring in an HBO Max spin-off of The Batman centering on his Penguin character.
The latter was ordered as a series back in March, shorty after Farrell won raves for a nearly unrecognizable turn as greasy gangster Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin in Matt Reeves‘ hit film The Batman.
Charlie Carver, along with his twin brother, Max, played the character’s bodyguards in the film. Incidentally, he recently recalled to ABC Audio when he first realized that his onscreen boss was Farrell.
“We’re in a huddle with Matt and Zoe [Kravitz] and Jeffrey [Wright] and Rob [Robert Pattinson] and everybody else who is on the scene. And this guy waddles up with a Brooklyn accent and a suit on.”
He says with a laugh, “You’re like, ‘Whose agent is that?'”
“And this guy starts talking and then immediately drops into an … Irish brogue, like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s Colin Farrell.’ I did not recognize him at all. But you just had a, you know, immediate sense of like, ‘Well, that’s The Penguin.'”
Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Audemars Piguet — ABC
Variety‘s ongoing Actors on Actors series often results in some interesting conversations, but in the case of its latest installment, it may have ended up creating a romantic comedy starring Sebastian Stan and Jennifer Aniston.
The Marvel movie star and Pam & Tommy lead admitted to being a big fan of the former Friends friend, and they explored the show’s enduring fandom.
Stan admitted, “I’ve gone through a lot of lonely nights with Friends ...”
Aniston gets the appeal. “It’s a friend to have in the room sometimes.”
The Morning Show star and producer also told Stan, “You would have been a great cast member … You would have been a Joey.”
The actor disagreed, adding, “I always came closest to Chandler, because I get very, sort of, neurotic.”
Stan asked what the recent Friends reunion special was like for the show’s cast.
“I don’t know we expected for it to sucker punch us as hard as it did in the emotional gut,” Aniston says, adding, “Literally, every single nook on a shelf was the same. It was so creepy.”
She related it to “time travel,” saying the cast wasn’t ready for the “explosion” of fame the series brought. “Thank God we had each other, because we really couldn’t talk about it outside. It was before social media, so we still had some sanity,” she recalled.
During the course of their conversation, the two stars stumbled upon a mutual love of romantic comedies. “Why do they have such a bad rap these days … wouldn’t that be fun to do one?” Aniston asked.
“[I’d] do one in a second with you,” Stan replied of a possible New York City-based project. “They could probably write that very quickly.”
Aniston replied, “Great. We’re gonna do a rom-com. So exciting. We’re bringing them back.”
