Kirby Howell-Baptiste has signed on to star opposite Colin Farrell in the Apple series “Sugar,” Variety has learned.
The project was first ordered to series in June. Exact plot and character details for the show remain under wraps, aside from the fact that it is described as a genre-bending contemporary take on the private detective story set in Los Angeles.
Howell-Baptiste was most recently seen in the Netflix series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman,” playing the role of Death, one of the seven Endless. She is also known for her roles in shows like “Barry,” “The Good Place,” “Killing Eve,” “Why Women Kill,” and the revival of “Veronica Mars.” She also made appearances in both the first and second seasons of the hit HBO Max comedy series “Hacks.” On the film side, Howell-Baptiste has been in features such as “Cruella,” “Queenpins,” and “Happily.”
She is repped by CAA, Mosaic, B-Side Management in the UK, and Shelter PR.
Mark Protosevich (“The Cell,” “I Am Legend,” “Thor”) serves as writer and executive producer on “Sugar.” Farrell will executive produce in addition to starring. Fernando Meirelles (“City of God,” “Two Popes”) will direct and executive produce. Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon of Genre Films also executive produce, as do Scott Greenberg and Chip Vucelich. Apple Studios will produce.
“Sugar” is the second series that Kinberg and Genre Films have at Apple. The company also produces the streamer’s show “Invasion.” That series, which is a sci-fi drama about an alien invasion of Earth, debuted on Apple in 2021 and was renewed for a second season in December. Kinberg co-created the series with David Weil.