John Goodman Will Star In New HBO Pilot, Remains Attached To ‘Roseanne’ Spinoff
Veteran actor John Goodman continues to find new and exciting projects in Hollywood, even though he currently has a starring role as one of TV’s most iconic fathers.
The 66-year-old has just signed on to film the pilot for a potential HBO series titled The Righteous Gemstones, reported Deadline.
The new comedy, created by and co-starring Eastbound & Down’s Danny McBride, is centered around a televangelist family that operate in the “tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work, all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Goodman, who previously worked with HBO on the 2010-2013 series Treme, plays Christian preacher Eli Gemstone, who is “known the world over for his aggressive salvation techniques, his worldwide ministries, and his award-winning weekly television program,” noted TV Line.
As the eldest son in the Gemstone clan, McBride’s Jesse “fancies himself a maverick in the ministry game, taking what Eli has built and expanding it for a more modern audience.”
McBride, 41, is an executive producer and writer for The Righteous Gemstones, and he will also direct the pilot episode.
Goodman’s other television show, ABC’s Roseanne has been in the headlines most every day since May 29 when the hit series was canceled by the network after its star, Roseanne Barr, made racist comments on Twitter.
However, the beloved family from the series — including Goodman’s Dan Conner as the patriarch, but without Barr as matriarch Roseanne Conner — was saved and will be starring in a spinoff series for ABC this fall called The Conners.
As previously reported by Inquisitr, the new show will follow the Conners — Dan (Goodman), Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), Darlene (Sara Gilbert), Becky (Lecy Goranson), and D.J. (Michael Fishman) — as they face life “after a sudden turn of events.”
The family “grapples with parenthood, dating, an unexpected pregnancy, financial pressures, aging, and in-laws in working-class America,” said ABC, who will air The Conners Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. in Roseanne‘s old time slot.
“Through it all, the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns — with love, humor, and perseverance, the family prevails.”
The Emmy and Golden Globe winner will have a very busy summer as he will reportedly shoot the pilot for The Righteous Gemstones first, and then start filming the 10 episodes of Season 1 of The Conners.
If HBO decides to order a full season of Gemstones, Deadline said Goodman will work on that after The Conners production is completed for the 2018-2019 season.
