Getty Morgan Freeman speaks onstage during the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Denzel Washington in 2019.
Morgan Freeman is the newest addition to a Hallmark star’s upcoming new TV series. Jill Wagner will be starring in “Lioness,” which has already recruited top co-stars like Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana.
Wagner Co-Created the Series with Taylor Sheridan of ‘Yellowstone’
Wagner co-created the series with Taylor Sheridan, best known for his hit series “Yellowstone,” IMDb shared. Now Morgan Freeman is joining the cast of the Paramount+ series, alongside Kidman and Saldana, Deadline reported. Freeman is playing the role of the U.S. Secretary of State. Wagner is also an executive producer.
According to Deadline, “Lioness” is about a group of U.S. female operatives who infiltrate dangerous groups, ranging from cells in Afghanistan to drug cartels. Sheridan wrote the first two episodes. The series is inspired by a real-life CIA program.
Saldana is also starring in the series and executive producing, Variety reported. Saldana’s credits include “Avatar 2” (post-production, Neytiri), “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie series (Gamora), “Star Trek Into Darkness” (Uhura), “Six Degrees” (Regina), “Haven,” “Temptation,” and more.
Kidman is also joining the cast, Variety reported. She’s already slated as an executive producer. She’ll be portraying the CIA’s Senior Supervisor who “must juggle the trappings of being a woman in the high-ranking intelligence community, a wife that longs for the attention she herself can’t even give and a mentor to someone veering suspiciously close to the same rocky road she’s found herself on.”
Wagner Shared the News on Her Birthday
Wagner shared the news on Instagram on her birthday, writing: “Happy Birthday to me. Welcome to the show @morganfreeman. It’s beyond an honor.”
Her colleagues and friends chimed in to offer their own congratulations. Candace Cameron Bure wrote, “Wow!!!!!!! Happy birthday to you indeed my friend!!! ❤️”
Cameron Mathison wrote, “Happy birthday Jill…. Big things for 2023❤️.”
Wagner has been sharing updates about the TV series on her Instagram account, including a photo showing that she was filming in Spain recently.
In June 2022, she introduced her followers to her new look for the series.
She said the new haircut was for her role as Bobby on “Lioness.”
In November 2022, she wrote: “This experience has been like no other and I am so thankful to everyone who has given their time and energy to this show . I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Mr. Taylor Sheridan has written one hell of a show . Thank you Sir.”
In September 2021, Wagner revealed that she had experienced complications after giving birth to her and husband David Lemanowicz’s baby, Daisy. She said it was the toughest 11 days of her life, but it was David’s strength that pulled them through. The family has been doing well since.
On January 1, she wrote: “So many things to be thankful for from ‘22 . I think sometimes I can let the stress of life get to me and forget all of the special days that make it all worth it . Thank GOD for pictures to remind me . I’m starting this year by thanking GOD for the last and asking that he cover this world in his love and protection . I love you all . ‘23 here I come.”
She said she rang in the new year with her family.
Wagner recently starred opposite Cameron Mathison in Great American Family’s “The Christmas Farm.” She has not signed a contract with GAF. She’s also known for her “Mystery 101” series on Hallamrk, and for numerous Hallmark films including “Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses,” “The Angel Tree,” and more.
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