Andy Ackerman To Direct ABC Comedy Pilot ‘Nana’; Anne Fletcher To Helm Drama ‘Heart Of Life’
Veteran multi-camera comedy director Andy Ackerman and The Proposal helmer Anne Fletcher have been tapped to direct two of ABC’s recently ordered pilots from 20th Century Fox TV.
Ackerman will direct and executive produce Nana, a multi-cam hybrid starring and co-executive produced by Sons of Anarchy alum Katey Sagal, from writer Lon Zimmet, Ted Melfi and Kimberly Quinn’s Goldenlight Films, Alcon Entertainment, 20th Century Fox TV and ABC Studios.
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Written by Lon Zimmet, Nana centers on an obsessive, overprotective dad, who after the death of his wife, is forced to invite his brash and bawdy mother-in-law – Nana (Sagal) – into his home to help raise the two granddaughters she barely knows.
Zimmet executive produces with Melfi and Quinn for Goldenlight Films, and Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson and Laura Lancaster for Alcon Entertainment. Sagal is a co-executive producer.
Fletcher will direct Heart of Life, a drama from Powerless and A to Z creator Ben Queen, director Paul Weitz and Fresh Off the Boat executive producer Melvin Mar.
The project, inspired by singer-songwriter John Mayer’s song of the same name, stems from Mar’s friendship with Mayer. Mar’s longtime producing partner Jake Kasdan, was originally eyed to potentially direct but was not available as he is directing the Jumanji sequel.
Heart of Life follows two sets of adult siblings from wildly different worlds who discover they’re related and must reassess everything they thought they knew about their shared father. As they explore the mystery of their separate childhoods, they’ll experience the difficulty in overcoming the sins of the past, and learn the joys of reuniting with long-lost family.
Fletcher also will co-executive produce.
Ackerman most recently directed episodes of CBS’ comedy Happy Together. His previous recent credits include director/executive producer of CBS’ comedy Living Biblically and episodes of The Conners. He’s repped by WME.
Fletcher’s feature directing credits include Dumplin starring Jennifer Aniston, Seth Rogen’s The Guilt Trip and comedy The Proposal. She’s also directing RuPaul’s upcoming Netflix comedy series AJ and the Queen. She’s repped by UTA.
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