“Hangover” veteran Justin Bartha has booked a leading role in “The New Normal”, a new comedy pilot from “Glee” and “American Horror Story” creator Ryan Murphy.
According to TVLine, Bartha will play one half of a gay couple who decide to use a surrogate (played by Georgia King) in order to have a baby. The role of Bartha’s husband/partner has been filled by “Book of Mormon” star Andrew Rannells, while Ellen Barkin will play the surrogate’s foxy grandmother. Murphy is slated to direct the pilot for the series, a single-camera comedy set up at NBC.
In other pilot casting news, former Man of Steel Brandon Routh (“Superman Returns”) has effectively thrown in the towel on his film career by signing on for “Partners”, a new multi-camera sitcom from Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, the creators of the long-running NBC series “Will & Grace”. The show centers on two lifelong friends and business partners, Charlie and Louis (Michael Urie), the latter of whom is gay.
As scooped by Deadline, Routh will play Louis’ steady boyfriend – once an alcoholic model, now a sober vegan who works as a nurse. Joining Urie, Routh, and the previously-announced Sophia Bush (as Charlie’s fiance Ali) in the pilot are Lucy Davis (“The Office”, “Shaun of the Dead”) as Renata, a whimsical bookkeeper who works as jewelry boutique owner Ali’s bookkeeper, and Elizabeth Regen as Ro-Ro, Charlie and Louis’ assistant. The show was developed at CBS.
Excited for either of these projects? Do Routh and Bartha sound like good fits for their respective roles? Sound off in the comments!