Sara Gilbert (The Conners) has signed on to star in the pilot of HBO Max‘s upcoming anthology series, Verbatim, according to The Hollywood Reporter. However, Conners fans need not worry; due to its non-serialized format, Verbatim is unlikely to affect Gilbert’s role as an executive producer and actress on ABC’s The Conners.
Verbatim is set to be an anthology drama where each episode explores a specific real life event. Each of episode’s subjects will be based on firsthand accounts of people involved, specifically their dialogue, which will be presented verbatim, hence the name of the show. The first episode of Verbatim is set to follow events surrounding 2019 college admissions scandal story, via The Hollywood Reporter.
Several stars have signed on to join the upcoming series along with Gilbert, including Rob Huebel (I Know This Much Is True), Lyriq Bent (Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It), and Tate Donovan (MacGyver). Kevin Dunn (Veep), J.R. Cacia (Infidel), and Leland Orser (Berlin Station) are also attached to the project. It is unclear at this point which actors will star in each episode of the show, or who they will be portraying. Chris Messina (Live By Night) was initially cast in the series in late 2020, but is no longer attached to the project, via The Hollywood Reporter.
The series is based on a New York Times op-doc series by Brett Weiner. According to Red Arrow Studios, Verbatim was initially short film screened at Sundance in 2014 before being turned into a digital series. In its digital form, the series amassed a large audience and was chosen as an official selection at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Weiner is returning to direct the series. He will additionally join Nicholas Weinstock (producer, The Package), Jackie Cohn (producer, In the Dark), and Ben Stiller (producer and actor, Tropic Thunder) in executive producing the series for HBO Max.
No release date has been set for the series and the series’ IMDb page lists the project as “in development”.