Henry Simmons, Bryan Greenberg, Torrey Hanson, Ora Jones, and Jasmine Batchelor are set to recur, joining previously announced series regulars in series from Warner Bros. Television and John Wells Production
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Los Angeles, CA – February 6 – Today, premium linear channel and streaming service MGM+ announced new casting for Emperor of Ocean Park, a thrilling, suspenseful take on author and law professor Stephen L. Carter’s best-selling novel, from executive producer/writer Sherman Payne (Charm City Kings, Shameless), John Wells Productions (JWP), and Warner Bros. Television. Henry Simmons, Bryan Greenberg, Torrey Hanson, Ora Jones, and Jasmine Batchelor are set to recur, joining previously announced series regulars Forest Whitaker (“Godfather of Harlem”), Grantham Coleman (“Lawman: Bass Reeves”), Tiffany Mack (“Jessica Jones”), and Paulina Lule (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”).
Set in the worlds of politics, elite academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, the series centers on Talcott Garland (Grantham Coleman), an esteemed law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland (Forest Whitaker), dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah (Tiffany Mack), a former journalist and inveterate conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, met with foul play.
Emperor of Ocean Park is produced by JWP in association with Warner Bros. Television, where JWP is under an overall deal.
Henry Simmons – “Addison Garland”
Bio: Henry Simmons most recently starred in season two of the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network’s and Ava DuVernay’s anthology drama series Cherish the Day, from WBTV. Previously, he starred in six seasons of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for ABC, and in the final six seasons of the landmark ABC drama NYPD Blue, created by Steven Bochco and David Milch. He was also a series regular on the CBS legal drama Shark and ABC comedy Man Up. Simmons starred in the feature film No Good Deed, opposite Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson, for Screen Gems. He also starred opposite Henson and Michael Clarke Duncan in From the Rough, and opposite Robin Williams in the independent feature World’s Greatest Dad. He was named Best Actor at the 2007 American Black Film Festival for his performance in South of Pico. Additional film acting credits include Madea’s Family Reunion, Something New, Taxi, Are We There Yet?, The Insurgents, A Gentleman’s Game, and Above the Rim.
Simmons is repped by Emery Entertainment, Independent Artist Group, and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang.
Bryan Greenberg – “Howard Denton”
Bio: Bryan Greenberg has been a beloved staple in film and television for over 2 decades. Perhaps best known for his portrayal of Jake Jagielski in The CW’s ONE TREE HILL, Greenberg also starred in the HBO series HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA from the creative team behind ENTOURAGE, as well as FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS for Screen Gems, opposite Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. Additionally, Bryan starred in the fifth and sixth seasons of Mindy Kaling’s THE MINDY PROJECT for Hulu.
His other varied film and television works include THE KITCHEN, PRIME, A SHORT HISTORY OF DECAY, BRIDE WARS, THE PERFECT SCORE, OCTOBER ROAD, HBO’S UNSCRIPTED, THE TICK, BESSIE, and Brian A Miller’s VICE. Bryan Greenberg recently made his directorial debut with JUNCTION, starring Sophia Bush, Jamie Chung, Josh Peck, Ryan Eggold and Griffin Dunne. In addition to acting, Bryan is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and musician. Bryan’s songs have been placed on UNSCRIPTED, NOBEL SON, and OCTOBER ROAD. Additionally, he performed two original songs, as well as a cover song in tribute to the deceased indie musician Elliot Smith on ONE TREE HILL.
Greenberg is repped by Gersh and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum & Morris.
Torrey Hanson – “Jack Ziegler”
Torrey Hanson is a Chicago-based actor. He’s had guest, recurring and co-star roles in episodes of Fargo, The Exorcist, Shining Girls, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, South Side, Empire, Crisis, Cheers and Wings. He played Jack Hyde in Jordan Peele’s remake of Candyman. He’s performed in over 160 theater productions, most recently at Steppenwolf, Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare and Writer’s Theaters in Chicago. He was a company member at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for five seasons and at Milwaukee Repertory Theater for 17 seasons. He has an AB with distinction in Rhetoric, History and French from UC Berkeley and an MFA in Theater from UW-Milwaukee, where he was a graduate fellow. He’s practiced SGI Nichiren Buddhism for 35 years.
Torrey Hanson is represented by Gray Talent Group.
Ora Jones – “Claire Garland”
Bio: Ora Jones’ Broadway roles include Madame de Volanges in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Booth, and Mrs. Phelps in Matilda the Musical, both at the Shubert and in the first national tour. She has worked at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; the Goodman Theatre; Rivendell Theatre; Timeline Theatre; Writers Theatre and About Face Theatre. Regional and other New York credits include performances at Long Wharf Theatre, Yale Repertory, Manhattan Theatre Club, Public Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory, Next Act, and The Weston Playhouse in Weston, VT. Ms. Jones is an Ensemble Member of the Internationally acclaimed Steppenwolf Theatre. She has appeared in over 18 productions for the theatre. Some film and television appearances include We Grown Now, Consumed, Were the World Mine, Stranger than Fiction, The Weatherman, Chicago Cab,
and Kubuku Rides (This is It). Television: Somebody, Somewhere (HBO), Chicago Fire (NBC), Betrayal (ABC) and the upcoming 61st Street (AMC).”
Jones is repped by Innovative Artists.
Jasmine Batchelor – “Maxine”
Bio: Jasmine is just coming off a season as “Detective Churlish” on Law & Order: SVU. Other television credits include New Amsterdam, NCIS New Orleans and The Good Fight. For her work as the lead in the indie favorite The Surrogate, Jasmine was nominated for a Gotham Award for Breakthrough Actor. She appeared in Journal for Jordan, directed by Denzel Washington, and has two new films coming up, Three Birthdays and I’ll Be There, which won awards at both Austin Film Festival and Santa Clarita International Film Festival, where Jasmine also won Best Actress. In New York, she has appeared at Lincoln Center Theatre, The Public Theatre, Playwrights Realm, Theatre for a New Audience and Manhattan Theatre Club. She is an alumnus of The Juilliard School and Wright State University.
Batchelor is repped by Liberman Zerman Management.
About John Wells Productions
John Wells Productions is the production company of writer, producer, and director John Wells. Most recently, Wells executive produced and directed the Emmy-nominated Maid for Netflix; Showtime’s Emmy-nominated Shameless; and the TNT drama series Animal Kingdom. Past television projects include NBC’s hit series ER, The West Wing, and Third Watch; the critically acclaimed Southland for TNT; the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning Mildred Pierce for HBO; and the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated China Beach.
JWP’s current slate of television projects includes The Accident, with Wells writing and directing; the action workplace drama Rescue: HI-Surf, written by Matt Kester; the psychological thriller series Doll, with renowned theatre and opera director Ivo van Hove; and an adaptation of the critically acclaimed suspense thriller Notes on an Execution, by Danya Kukafka, with Kate Fodor writing.
The company currently has an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television.
Films produced by Wells include The Company Men, which was his feature directorial debut; Todd Haynes’ Far from Heaven and I’m Not There; Mark Romanek’s One Hour Photo; Todd Graff’s Camp; Fenton Bailey’s Party Monster; Robert Altman’s The Company; John Waters’ A Dirty Shame; Mary Harron’s The Notorious Bettie Page; Phyllis Nagy’s Mrs. Harris; Tom Kalin’s Savage Grace; Douglas McGrath’s Infamous; Jordan Scott’s Cracks; Andrew Neel’s Goat; Burnt, which he also directed; Bill Pohlad’s Love & Mercy; Carroll Ballard’s Duma; Peter Kominsky’s White Oleander; Neil Jordan’s The Good Thief; Andrzej Bartkowiak’s Doom; Tony Giglio’s Doom: Annihilation; Michael Mayer’s A Home at the End of the World; and Oscar-nominated August: Osage County, which Wells also directed, based on Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name.
About Warner Bros. Television
One of the entertainment industry’s most-respected providers of original programming since its founding in 1955, Warner Bros. Television delivers scripted dramas, comedies, limited series, and original movies for multiple platforms. As of Feburary 2024, WBTV is producing nearly 40 scripted series for Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max, external streaming platforms, cable, and the five U.S. broadcast networks.
About MGM+
MGM+, an Amazon company, is a premium linear channel and streaming service delivering a broad lineup of quality original series and docuseries, the latest movie releases, and classic film franchises—all available in the U.S. on TV, on-demand, online, and across devices. MGM+ is a destination for original premium content, with original series including sci-fi horror series FROM; Emmy-winning series Godfather of Harlem; the Western adventure Billy the Kid; and cinematic dramatic and limited series including The Winter King, Beacon 23, A Spy Among Friends, War of the Worlds, Rogue Heroes, and Belgravia. The network is also the home of acclaimed docuseries, including Emmy-nominated Laurel Canyon, My Life as a Rolling Stone, NFL Icons, and San Francisco Sounds: A Place in Time. Premium movies are also available, including Top Gun: Maverick, No Time to Die, Creed 3, House of Gucci, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Till, and Smile.
With thousands of titles available for streaming, MGM+ is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite, emerging digital distribution channels, its MGM+ app, and all new Fire TV device purchases come with a six-month MGM+ subscription courtesy of Amazon. For more information about the current MGM+ lineup, go to www.mgmplus.com or follow on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
Press Contacts:
MGM+:
Eileen Quast, PR, equast@amazon.com
Lauren Dundee, PR, ldundee@vendor.mgm.com
John Well Productions:
Guido Gotz, GG@slatepr.com
Warner Bros. Television:
Rebecca Marks, Rebecca.Marks@wbd.com
Robert Pietranton, Robert.Pietranton@wbd.com
Brittany Rodgers, Brittany.Rodgers@wbd.com