Cynthia Erivo to Star in Film Adaptation of Sci-Fi Podcast ‘Carrier’ at Amblin
The Oscar nominee will reprise the role that she played in the audio series from QCode
Brian Welk | February 12, 2020 @ 9:45 AM
Last Updated: February 12, 2020 @ 9:46 AM
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Amblin Partners has acquired the film rights to develop the podcast sci-fi thriller series “Carrier” as a film and has attached Cynthia Erivo to star and produce, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
The “Carrier” audio podcast series was created by QCode and Dan Blank and starred the Oscar nominee. Blank will also write and direct the film at Amblin.
Erivo will reprise her role as Raylene, a truck driver who accepts an off-the-books, long hall trucking assignment to cover for her ill father. She soon realizes that her mysterious cargo is a threat to the world and various forces begin targeting her to control or destroy it.
Erivo will also serve as a producer, along with Automatik’s Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and QCode partner Rob Herting. Fred Berger and David Henning will executive produce.
Amblin Partners’ president of production Jeb Brody and creative executive John Buderwitz will oversee production for the studio.
“Carrier” was featured as one of the best podcasts of 2019 by Esquire magazine and was named Apple’s “Best Fiction Show of the Year.” Erivo both starred in and co-produced the seven-episode, original, scripted thriller.
“A great story can transcend its medium to find new forms and new audiences. Cynthia, Dan and QCode created a gripping and entertaining podcast that deserved all the praise and attention it garnered. We can’t wait to work with them to tell this story in its next evolution,” Brody said in a statement.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to bring this podcast to the screen and marks the beginning of a new adventure in creativity for me as a producer,” Erivo said in a statement.
“We are thrilled to be working alongside Amblin Partners and their amazing creative team on adapting the ‘Carrier’ podcast to film. As producers, we’ve always envisioned a bigger life span for our content beyond podcasts, and we’re excited to watch this adaption, led by the brilliant Cynthia Erivo, come to life,” QCode’s Rob Herting said in a statement.
Cynthia Erivo is represented by UTA, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, and Peikoff Mahan Law Office.
“Carrier” marks QCode’s first feature film adaptation.
37 Stars Who Need Only an Oscar to EGOT, From Hugh Jackman to Cynthia Erivo (Photos)
The EGOT -- an acronym for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony -- is the greatest honor in entertainment. These stars are (or were) close to achieving it.
Cynthia Nixon (1966 - )
Emmys (2): Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, "Sex and the City" (2004); Guest Actress in a Drama Series, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (2008)
Grammy: Spoken Word Album, "An Inconvenient Truth" (2008)
Tonys (2): Actress in a Play, "Rabbit Hole" (2006); Featured Actress in a Play, "Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes" (2017)
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Lin-Manuel Miranda (1980 - )
Emmy: Original Music and Lyrics, "67th Annual Tony Awards" (2014)
Grammys (2): Best Musical Theater Album, "In the Heights" (2008) and "Hamilton" (2017)
Tonys (3): Score, "In the Heights" (2008) and "Hamilton" (2016); Musical, "Hamilton" (2016)
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Hugh Jackman (1968 - )
Emmy: Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, "58th Annual Tony Awards" (2004)
Grammy: Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, "The Greatest Showman" (2018)
Tony: Actor in a Musical, "The Boy From Oz" (2004)
Harry Belafonte (1927 - )
Emmy: Performance in a Variety or Musical Program or Series, "The Revlon Revue" (1960)
Grammys (2): Folk Performance, "Swing Dat Hammer" (1960); Folk Recording, "An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba" (1965)
Tony: Supporting Actor in a Musical, "John Murray Anderson's Almanac" (1954)
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Cynthia Erivo (1987 - )
Daytime Emmy: On-Camera Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, "Today" (2017)
Grammy: Musical Theater Album, "The Color Purple" (2016)
Tony: Actress in a Musical, "The Color Purple" (2016)
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Bette Midler (1945 - )
Emmys (3): Special - Comedy, Variety or Music, "Bette Midler Ol' Red Hair Is Back" (1978); Performance in a Variety or Music Program, "Bette Midler: Diva Las Vegas" (1997) and "The Tonight Show" (1992)
Grammy (3): Best New Artist (1973); Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, "The Rose" (1980); Record of the Year, "Wind Beneath My Wings" (1989)
Tony: Actress in a Musical, "Hello, Dolly!" (2017)
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Audra McDonald (1970 - )
Emmy: Special Class Program, "Live From Lincoln Center" (2015)
Grammys (2): Classical Album and Opera Recording, "Weill: Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny" (2008)
Tonys (6): Featured Actress in a Musical, "Carousel" (1994); Featured Actress in a Play, "Master Class" (1996); Featured Actress in a Musical, "Ragtime" (1998); Featured Actress in a Play, "A Raisin in the Sun" (2004); Actress in a Musical, "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" (2012); Actress in a Play, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" (2014)
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Cyndi Lauper (1953 - )
Emmy: Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, "Mad About You" (2005)
Grammys (2): Best New Artist (1984); Musical Theater Album, "Kinky Boots" (2013)
Tony: Score, "Kinky Boots" (2013)
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Marc Shaiman (1959 - )
Emmy: Writing in a Variety or Music Program, "The 64th Annual Academy Awards" (1992)
Grammy: Musical Show Album, "Hairspray" (2002)
Tony: Score, "Hairspray" (2003)
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Lily Tomlin (1939 - )
Emmys (6): Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special, "Lily" (1974) and The Lily Tomlin Special (1976) and "The Paul Simon Special" (1978); Variety, Music or Comedy Program, "Lily" (1974) and "Lily: Sold Out" (1981); Voiceover Performance, "An Apology to Elephants" (2013)
Grammy: Comedy Recording, "This Is a Recording" (1971)
Tony: Actress in a Play, "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe" (1986)
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Billy Porter (1969 - )
Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, "Pose" (2019)
Grammy: Best Musical Theater Album, "Kinky Boots" (2013)
Tony: Lead Actor in a Musical, "Kinky Boots" (2013)
Dick Van Dyke (1925 -)
Emmys (4): Actor in a Comedy Series, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (1964, 1965 and 1966); Comedy-Variety or Music Series, "Van Dyke and Company" (1977)
Grammy: Recording for Children, "Mary Poppins" (1964)
Tony: Featured Actor in a Musical, "Bye, Bye Birdie" (1961)
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James Earl Jones (1931 - )
Emmys (2): Actor in a Drama Series, "Gabriel's Fire" (1991); Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special, "Heat Wave" (1991)
Grammy: Spoken Word Recording, "Great American Documents" (1976)
Tonys (2): Actor in a Play, "The Great White Hope" (1969) and "Fences" (1987)
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David Yazbek (1961 - )
Emmy: Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program, "Late Night With David Letterman" (1984)
Grammy: Musical Theater Album, "The Band's Visit" (2018)
Tony: Original Musical Score, "The Band's Visit (2018)
Grammy: Musical Theater Album, "The Book of Mormon" (2011)
Tony (2): Score and Book, "The Book of Mormon" (2011)
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Ben Platt (1993 - )
Daytime Emmy (1): Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, "Dear Evan Hansen" on "Today" (2018)
Grammy: Best Musical Theater Album, "Dear Evan Hansen" (2018)
Tony: Best Actor in a Musical, "Dear Evan Hansen" (2017)
Rachel Bay Jones (1969 - )
Daytime Emmy (1): Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, "Dear Evan Hansen" on "Today" (2018)
Grammy: Best Musical Theater Album, "Dear Evan Hansen" (2018)
Tony: Best Featured Actress in a Musical, "Dear Evan Hansen" (2017)
André De Shields (1946 - )
Emmy: Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1982)
Grammy: Best Musical Theater Album, "Hadestown" (2020)
Tony: Best Featured Actor in a Musical, "Hadestown" (2019)
Quincy Jones (1933 - )
Emmy: Music Composition for a Series Original Dramatic Score, "Roots" (1977)
Grammy:27 wins, including Record of the Year, "Beat It" (1983) and "We Are the World" (1985); Album of the Year, "Back on the Block" (1990)
Tony: Musical Revival (producing), "The Color Purple" (2016)
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Katrina Lenk
Emmy: Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, "Today" (2019)
Grammy: Best Musical Theater Album, "The Band's Visit" (2019)
Tony: Best Actress in a Musical, "The Band's Visit" (2018)
Ari'el Stachel (1991 - )
Emmy: Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, "Today" (2019)
Grammy: Best Musical Theater Album, "The Band's Visit" (2019)
Tony: Best Featured Actor in a Musical, "The Band's Visit" (2018)
Fred Ebb (1928-2004) and John Kander (1927 - )
Emmy: Original Music and Lyrics, "Liza With a Z" (1973) and "Liza Minnelli Live from Radio City Music Hall" (1993); Ebb also won for "Gypsy in My Soul" (1976) and producing "Liza With a Z"
Grammy: Best Score From an Original Cast Show Album, "Cabaret" (1967)
Tonys (4): Musical and Composer/Lyricist, "Cabaret" (1967); Score, "Woman of the Year" (1981); Score, "Kiss of the Spider Woman" (1993)
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Tom Kitt (1974 - )
Emmy: Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, "The 67th Annual Tony Awards" (2014)
Grammy: Best Musical Theater Album, "Jagged Little Pill" (2021)
Tonys (2): Best Original Score and Orchestrations, "Next to Normal" (2009)
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Bill Sherman (1981 - )
Daytime Emmys (2): Original Song - Children's and Animation, "Sesame Street" (2011); Original Song, "Sesame Street" (2015)
Grammys (2): Best Musical Theater Album, "In the Heights" (2008) and "Hamilton" (2017)
Tonys (2): Orchestrations, "In the Heights" (2008); Musical (producing), "Kinky Boots" (2013)
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Anne Garefino (1959 - )
Emmys (5): Animated Program (producing), "South Park" (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2013)
Grammy: Musical Theater Album, "The Book of Mormon" (2011)
Tony: Musical (producing), "The Book of Mormon" (2011)
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Martin Charnin (1934 - )
Emmys (3): Variety or Musical Program, "Annie, the Women in the Life of a Man" (1970); Variety or Musical Program and Directorial Achievement in Comedy or Variety, "'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin" (1972)
Grammy: Cast Show Album, "Annie" (1977)
Tony: Score, "Annie" (1977)
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Stan Lathan (1945 - )
Emmys (3): Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded), "Dave Chappelle: Equanimity" (2018), "Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones" (2020); Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special, "Sticks & Stones" (2020)
Grammys (3): Best Comedy Album, Dave Chappelle's "The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas" (2017); "Equanimity & The Bird Revelation" (2018); "Sticks & Stones" (2019)
Tony: Best Special Theatrical Event, "Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam" (2003)
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Alex Lacamoire (1975 - )
Emmy: Outstanding Music Direction, "Fosse/Verdon" (2019)
Grammy (3): Best Musical Theater Album, "In the Heights" (2009), "Hamilton" (2016), "Dear Evan Hansen" (2018); Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, "The Greatest Showman" (2019)
Tony (3): Best Orchestrations, "In the Heights" (2008); "Hamilton" (2016); "Dear Evan Hansen" (2017)
Jerry Bock (1928–2010)
Daytime Emmy: Original Song - Children's and Animation, "Wonder Pets!" (2010)
Grammy: Score From an Original Cast Show Album, "She Loves Me" (1963)
Tonys (4): Musical, "Fiorello!" (1960), "Hello, Dolly!" (1964) and "Fiddler on the Roof" (1965); plus Score, "Fiddler on the Roof" (1965)
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Julie Harris (1925–2013)
Emmys (3): Single Performance by an Actress, "Little Moon of Alban" (1959); Single Performance by an Actress, "Victoria Regina" (1962); Voiceover Performance, "Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony" (2000)
Grammy: Spoken Word Recording, "The Belle Of Amherst" (1977)
Tonys (5): Actress in a Play, "I Am a Camera" (1952), "The Lark" (1956), "Forty Carats" (1969), "The Last of Mrs. Lincoln" (1973) and "The Belle of Amherst" (1977)
Courtesy: Bill Doll and Company
Cy Coleman (1929-2004)
Emmys (2): Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special, "Shirley MacLaine: If They Could See Me Now" (1975); Comedy-Variety or Music Special, "Gypsy in My Soul" (1976)
Grammy: Musical Show Album, "The Will Rogers Follies" (1991)
Tonys (3): Score, "On the Twentieth Century" (1978), "City of Angels" (1990) and "The Will Rogers Follies" (1991)
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James Whitmore (1921–2009)
Emmy: Guest Actor in a Drama Series, "The Practice" (2000)
Grammy: Spoken Word Recording, "Give 'Em Hell Harry" (1975)
Tony: Performance by Newcomers, "For Love or Money" (1948)
Emmy: 7 individual wins, including for "Omnibus" (1957 and 1958); "Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic" (1961); "New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts" (1965); "Beethoven's Birthday" (1972); and "Carnegie Hall: The Grand Reopening" (1987)
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