Ellen Barkin To Co-Star In Ryan Murphy/Ali Adler's NBC Comedy Pilot 'The New Normal'

EXCLUSIVE: I’ve learned that Ellen Barkin is in final negotiations to co-star in The New Normal, NBC’s comedy pilot from the Glee duo of Ryan Murphy and Allison Adler. The single-camera project, co-written by Glee co-creator Murphy and Adler and to be directed by Murphy, is described as a heartwarming comedy about a blended family of a gay couple, with Andrew Rannells playing one of the guys, and the woman who becomes a surrogate to help them start a family. Barkin will play the splashy role of the surrogate’s mother. 20th Century Fox TV is producing the project, with Murphy, Adler and Dante Di Loreto executive producing. Barkin was most recently seen in the indie Another Happy Day and making her Broadway debut in The Normal Heart, which earned her her a Tony Award last year.