Sir Patrick Stewart to tackle American cable news in 'Blunt Talk'
Fresh off of a recent stellar performance on Buzzfeed’s edition of The Newlywed Game with Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart has been cast to star in an upcoming Seth MacFarlane sitcom project for premium channel, Starz. In Blunt Talk, Stewart will star as British journalist Walter Blunt who is on a mission to conquer American cable news by inflicting his unwanted wisdom on his ‘dysfunctional’ staff. As a late night TV talk show host, Blunt is described as possessing equal parts ‘borderline alcoholic’ and ‘mad-genius Brit’. Through his nightly interview show, he attempts to impart his wisdom and guidance to Americans with his only supporter being his British alcoholic butler.
It won’t be the first crossing of brilliance between Stewart and MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy and American Dad. As the voice of CIA Deputy Director Avery Bullock on American Dad, Stewart knows full well what he’s getting in to. “My career took an abrupt and radical left turn when Seth McFarlane created CIA Deputy Director Avery Bullock on American Dad. This new character, Walter Blunt, is not at all like Avery, thank God, because this is live action and I am a Knight of the Realm. Blunt is, however, much smarter than Avery and has his own TV show, which has to be better than being Deputy Director of the CIA“, said Stewart.
Bored to Death creator, Jonathan Ames, created the idea of will serve as the series showrunner with MacFarlane writing and exec producing. The series is set for a 2015 premiere on Starz. Stewart’s other half on The Newlywed Game, Sir Ian McKellen, is prepping for a second series of Vicious with co-star Sir Derek Jacobi which will transmit this Fall on ITV.