Marlee Matlin has booked a splashy new gig following the record-breaking success of her latest film at Sundance. The “CODA” actress and Oscar winner will topline and exec produce an untitled project in the works at NBC. Deadline reports that the network landed the workplace comedy in “a competitive situation” with a script commitment plus penalty.
Set in the “cutthroat, fast-paced world of sign language interpreting,” the potential series centers around “a medium-sized interpreting agency in Los Angeles managed by DJ (Matlin), who’s both overextended and overconfident,” the source details.
“CODA” made history as the first film to win all three top U.S. Dramatic honors at Sundance Film Festival and scored a record-breaking distribution deal at the fest when it premiered in January. Written and directed by Sian Heder, the coming-0f-age drama tells the story of 17-year-old Ruby (Jones), an aspiring singer who is the only hearing member of a Deaf family. Matlin plays Ruby’s mother. “CODA” hits Apple TV+ and select theaters August 13.
“Switched at Birth,” “The L Word,” and “Children of a Lesser God” are among Matlin’s other credits. She won an Oscar for the latter. She was the first — and remains the only — Deaf performer to win an Academy Award.
