Paramount+ has announced that Laysla De Oliveira (Locke & Key) is set to star opposite Zoe Saldana in the upcoming original series Lioness, from Academy Award nominee Taylor Sheridan. Saldana will also serve as executive producer alongside Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman and her production company, Blossom Films.
Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios, the series will begin production in June 2022 with Tom Brady (NOS4A2, Colony) at the helm as executive producer and showrunner.
Lioness is based on a real-life CIA program and follows Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira), a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within.
Zoe Saldana will play Joe, the station chief of the Lioness program tasked with training, managing and leading her female undercover operatives.
De Oliveira was previously selected by The Hollywood Reporter as one of Canada’s rising stars. She can currently be seen starring in Locke & Key, based on a Joe Hill comic and produced by Carlton Cuse.
Her film credits include the sci-fi/horror film In the Tall Grass for director Vincenzo Natali; the Atom Egoyan-directed Guest of Honour, which premiered at the 2019 Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals; a starring role in the indie Acquainted; Code 8; and Needle in a Timestack for director John Ridley.
Lioness will be executive produced by Sheridan, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari and David Hutkin. Tom Brady will also serve as executive producer and showrunner.
Nicole Kidman, with her production company Blossom Films, Zoe Saldana, Geyer Kosinski and Jill Wagner are also set to executive produce.
Lioness is the latest addition to Sheridan’s growing Paramount+ empire, which includes the top two performing original series 1883 and Mayor of Kingstown, as well as the upcoming series Tulsa King (wt), Land Man and 1932, and several projects in development.
Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, combines live sports, breaking news, and a mountain of entertainment.
The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, and the Smithsonian Channel.
The service is also the streaming home to unmatched sports programming, including every CBS Sports event, from golf to football to basketball and more, plus exclusive streaming rights for major sports properties, including some of the world’s biggest and most popular soccer leagues.
Paramount+ also enables subscribers to stream local CBS stations live across the U.S. in addition to the ability to stream CBSN for 24/7 news, CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis, and ET Live for entertainment coverage.
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