‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Pete Gardner Joins ‘Harold And The Purple Crayon’; Paramount+’s ‘Finestkind’ Adds Charlie Thurston

EXCLUSIVE: Pete Gardner (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) will star alongside Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel, Lil Rel Howery, Ravi Patel, Camille Guaty and Tanya Reynolds in Sony Pictures’ live-action adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon, which has wrapped production.

The film from Oscar-nominated director Carlos Saldanha (Ferdinand) is based on the 1955 children’s book by Crockett Johnson, which follows Harold—a curious four-year-old who, with his purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own. David Guion and Michael Handelman (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb) adapted the screenplay, with John Davis (Dolemite Is My Name) producing through Davis Entertainment. The film is currently in post-production and is slated for release in theaters on January 27, 2023.

Gardner is perhaps best known for his turn as Darryl Whitefeather—the overly-friendly boss of Rachel Bloom’s Rebecca—on The CW’s Emmy-winning musical comedy series, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The actor has recently appeared on HBO Max’s pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death and FloQast Studios’ comedy series PBC. Notable film credits include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Project X, the Lindsay Lohan rom-com Labor Pains, Evan Almighty and Transformers.

Gardner is represented by Seven Summits Pictures & Management and Ellis Talent Group.

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EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Thurston (Julia) has signed on for a role in Paramount+’s crime thriller, Finestkind. He joins an ensemble that also includes Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, Aaron Stanford, Scotty Tovar, Tim Daly, Lolita Davidovich, Clayne Crawford, Meghan Leathers, Ismael Cruz Cordova and Fernanda Andrade, as previously announced.

Set in the fishing port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Finestkind tells the story of two brothers (Foster and Wallace) from opposite sides of the tracks, who are reunited as adults over one fateful summer. When desperate circumstances force them to strike a deal with a dangerous Boston crime syndicate, a young woman (Ortega) finds herself caught in the middle. Along the way, sacrifices must be made, and bonds between brothers, friends, and a father (Jones) and his son are put to the test. Thurston will play Mr. White, a private equity executive running Excelsior Sea Foods in New Bedford which has a fleet of ships, one of which Tom (Foster) captains.

Academy Award-winner Brian Helgeland wrote and is directing the film, which will debut exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. later this year, becoming available for streaming in Australia, Canada, Latin America, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and South Korea when the service launches in those markets. Gary Foster and Russ Krasnoff are producing for Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment, with Academy Award nominee Taylor Sheridan of Bosque Ranch and David C. Glasser of 101 Studios, in association with MTV Entertainment Studios, with 101 Studios handling international sales for all remaining territories.

Thurston recently appeared in Showtime’s Dexter revival Dexter: New Blood, and can currently be seen on HBO Max’s Julia Child series Julia, which has been renewed for a second season. Additional credits include the horror film The Unholy with Jeffrey Dean Morgan; Jodie Foster’s drama Money Monster, starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts; and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Thurston will also soon be seen in 20th Century Studios’ film Boston Strangler, starring Kiera Knightley, Carrie Coon, Alessandro Nivola, Chris Cooper and more, which will be released on Hulu. He is repped by CESD and Forte Artist Management in New York.