Elizabeth Banks has landed her first major network sale, Variety reports. The actress, producer, and director signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. TV last year that sees her and Max Handelman, Banks’ husband, developing new TV projects via their production company, Brownstone Productions. The pair are on board to executive produce “Something To Celebrate,” a single-camera family comedy in development at CBS.
Based on a Spanish series of the same name, “Something To Celebrate” follows “four adult siblings [who] work in their family’s popular bakery and enjoy the fun of being in a second-generation American family that loves a celebration,” writes Variety.
The project is being penned by Vera Santamaria, whose credits include “BoJack Horseman” and “Community.” She’ll join Banks and Handelman as an exec producer on “Something To Celebrate.” Santamaria also co-created “How To Be Indie,” the first Canadian TV series centered on a South Asian family.
Banks and Handelmen served as producers on both 2012’s “Pitch Perfect” and its 2015 sequel. They’ll resume their producing duties for the third installment of the franchise, due in 2017. Banks made her feature directorial debut with “Pitch Perfect 2,” and was originally slated to helm the third chapter of the film series, but dropped out due to what she described as “parental responsibilities.” While she won’t direct the film, Banks will step in front of the camera to reprise her role as Gail Abernathy-McKadden, an a cappella commentator. The franchise has grossed over $402 million worldwide thus far.
Brownstone Productions has a number of projects in the works, including the “Charlie’s Angel” reboot, which Banks will direct, and the upcoming Melissa Leo Netflix film “The Most Hated Woman in America,” a portrait of Madalyn Murray O’Hair, an influential atheist activist. Banks and Handelman also serve as exec producers on Hulu’s “Resident Advisors.” Back in April, “The Hunger Games” actress launched WhoHaha, a new digital comedy platform for women.