John Goodman to Star in HBO Comedy Pilot From Danny McBride

John Goodman will star in a new HBO comedy pilot from Vice Principals star Danny McBride, even though he is still retuning to ABC this fall for the Roseanne spin-off.

The pilot is called The Righteous Gemstones and centers on a famous televangelist family, with Goodman playing patriarch Eli Gemstone, reports Variety. He is in the twilight of his career, but insists on being given orders without being questioned and still hosts an award-winning weekly TV show.

McBride will star as Jesse Gemstone, Eli’s eldest son. He is stuck in his father’s shadow, but desperate to go on his own path. Like his father, he created an entourage of yes-men and considers himself a maverick minister. Jesse’s dream is to take the empire his father built and bring it into the 21st century.

The Righteous Gemstones comes from the same team behind McBride’s other acclaimed HBO shows, Eastbound & Down (2009-2013) and Vice Principals (2016-2018). McBride, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green are executive producing. McBride will also write and direct.

McBride shot to fame with roles in Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder and Green’s Pineapple Express. He recently had a role in Ridley Scott’s Alien Covenant. He also collaborated with Green on the latest Halloween movie and is an executive producer on the film, which opens Oct. 19.

As for Goodman, he will star in ABC’s The Conners this fall. ABC picked up the show for 10 episodes last week, about a month after Roseanne was cancelled following Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett. Goodman will be joined by fellow Roseanne co-stars Sara Gilbert, Laurie Metcalf, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman.

“We have received a tremendous amount of support from fans of our show, and it’s clear that these characters not only have a place in our hearts, but in the hearts and homes of our audience,” the five actors said in a joint statement on June 21. “We all came back last season because we wanted to tell stories about the challenges facing a working-class family today. We are so happy to have the opportunity to return with the cast and crew to continue to share those stories through love and laughter.”

Goodman’s other recent credits include Kong: Skull Island, Patriots Day, Atomic Blonde, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Trumbo and Love The Coopers. He also played former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Saturday Night Live this past season. He also worked for HBO alongside Al Pacino in You Don’t Know Jack.

HBO’s other upcoming pilots include Damon Lindelof’s new version of Watchmen and Jane Goldman’s Game of Thrones prequel.

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