Posted in: ABC, Preview, TV | Tagged: ABC, always sunny, hpi, Javicia Leslie, Kaitlin Olson, preview
Deniz Akdeniz Joins Kaitlin Olson, Javicia Leslie on ABC's "HPI" Pilot
Deniz Akdeniz (The Flight Attendant) is joining Kaitlin Olson, Javicia Leslie & Daniel Sunjata on the pilot for ABC's "HPI" series remake.
FXX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Kaitlin Olson is set to be joined by The Flight Attendant star Deniz Akdeniz in ABC's untitled "HPI" (High Intellectual Potential) remake. Joining a cast that includes Olson, Batwoman star Javicia Leslie, and Daniel Sunjata (STARZ's Power Book II: Ghost), Akdeniz will play Lev "Oz" Osman (as first reported by Deadline Hollywood). Olson is also set to produce the procedural drama pilot based on TF1's popular detective series, stemming from writer Drew Goddard, Goddard Textiles, and ABC Signature, with Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) as showrunner & executive producer and Alethea Jones (Mrs. Davis) directing & executive producing. The project is based on the original French series Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (HPI), created by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot, Stéphane Carrié & Nicolas Jean and starring Audrey Fleurot.
The series pilot for the untitled "HPI" remake focuses on Olson's Morgan, a single mom with three kids and an exceptional mind who helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a cleaner for the police department. When they discover she has a knack for putting things in order because of her high intellectual potential, she is brought on as a consultant to work with a by-the-book seasoned detective, Karadec (Sunjata), and together they form an unusual and unstoppable team. Olson's Morgan leads a chaotic, hand-to-mouth existence in spite of (or because of) her IQ of 160. Assertive, fearless, and possessed with a serious anti-authority streak, Morgan is able to spot details that others ignore as the white noise of life. Leslie has been cast in the role of Daphne, while Akdeniz will play Lev "Oz" Osman.
Goddard and Sarah Esberg will executive produce ABC's adaptation for Goddard Textiles; Thomas Etheridge and Dan Etheridge executive produce for Spondoolie Productions, with Pierre Laugier and Anthony Lancret executive producing for Itinéraire Productions, a UGC company. The news comes as Olson, Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Danny DeVito continue filming the 16th season of FX Networks' record-breaking comedy series.