Geoffrey Owens To Star In Syfy Show Produced By Lorne Michaels
Geoffrey Owens is making another appearance on the small screen in a satirical take on 1990s slasher movies.
The Syfy pilot for (Future) Cult Classic added in Owens and The Hangover alum Justin Bartha to round out its adult and teen cast. The show will be produced by Saturday Night Live creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels, and is set 18 years in the future, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The dark comedy is centered around a group of teenagers whose community is turned upside down by a serial killer who is obsessed with ’90s slasher films. The show will focus on the teens’ journey to find the serial killer before it’s too late for them.
The former Cosby Show star will play Detective Moscowitz. Moscowitz is an “old-school cop” who finds himself struggling to do his job and navigate through a tech-based society. He reportedly stays true to his instincts in the show an “old-school string of murders haunts the community.”
(Future) Cult Classic will be Owens’ first starring role since The Cosby Show ended in 1992. The actor made headlines in 2018 after a woman took and shared photos of him working at a New Jersey Trader Joe’s. The photo went viral and many people were appalled by the woman’s intentional job-shaming. Owens addressed the incident, as well as the outpouring of support from the public on Good Morning America in September of 2018.
“There’s no job that is better than another,” he said. “They might pay better, have better benefits, but actually, it’s not better.”
Geoffrey Owens, Justin Bartha join @SYFY slasher-movie satire https://t.co/Z2JJ9njGPC pic.twitter.com/7dBMTQKS5s
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 1, 2019
Owens, who said he worked the job for “steady income” in between acting gigs, was instantly on Hollywood’s radar. Tyler Perry offered him a recurring role on his show, The Haves and the Have Nots on OWN. Owens has also booked guest roles on NCIS and Billions and was asked to attend the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Owens told GMA his role on The Haves and the Have Nots was written specifically for him by Perry.
“There is a little sense of mischief, I think, to Tyler as well as generosity because, you know, I had just said, ‘I don’t think I would really feel comfortable getting offered work, you know, because of the situation,'” Owens said. “And darn. What does he do? He offers me work.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Emily Alyn Lind, formerly of ABC’s Revenge, will play the leading role in the Syfy dark comedy, with Bartha playing her father. Other cast members include Jacob McCarthy, Cayden Boyd, da’Vinchi and Zoe Renee.
