Vanessa Hudgens is on a roll after starring in FOX’s smash hit version of ‘Grease Live!’ She’s just landed the lead role in NBC’s upcoming DC Comics-inspired sitcom ‘Powerless’. Hudgens will play Emily Locke, an insurance claims adjuster, working for “the worst insurance company in the DC Universe” which covers victims caught in the crossfire of super hero/villain battles. This workplace comedy has been compared to ‘The Office’ but set within the DC Universe.
Her role is described as:
Emily Locke: An insurance claims adjuster who loves her job because she gets to help people and who likes to fly under the radar and just get her work done. She finds herself increasingly exasperated by the disruptive antics of the various Super Heroes that proliferate in her city.
The show will be written and executive produced by Ben Queen, who previously created the short-lived romantic sitcom ‘A-Z’. With Tim Minear, he also co-created and exec produced the miniseries ‘Drive’ which starred Nathan Fillion and Emma Stone and penned the script for ‘Cars 2’.
‘Powerless’ will also be exec produced by Michael Patrick Jann, who is directing the pilot. Jann is a prolific TV comedy director, having crafted episodes of ‘Reno 911’, ‘Flight of the Conchords’, ‘The Goldbergs’, ‘Last Man on Earth’ and ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’.
Hudgens is coming off her winning portrayal of Rizzo on ‘Grease Live!’ (which she performed the day after her father passed away!) and may be best remembered for playing Gabriella in the early 2000s Disney phenomenon ‘High School Musical’ movies. She may also be remembered for roles in ‘Sucker Punch’, ‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island’, ‘Machete Kills’ and last year’s horror flick ‘Freaks of Nature’. She received acclaim for her role in the powerful drama ‘Gimme Shelter’.
Being set in the DC Universe, expect a lot of cameos by characters from the publisher’s roster, but not the big guns like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, or characters on rival networks. That may seem to leave very little to choose from, but keep in mind DC has been cranking out comics since the 1930s, so there is a near limitless menagerie to draw from.
How is this series shaping up in your opinion? Are you looking forward to a workplace comedy set within the DCU?
Source: Deadline
