Showtime Orders 13 Episodes of Platt & Linney-Led 'The Big C'

As previously reported, stage and screen stars Oliver Platt and Laura Linney have teamed up for the Bill Condon-helmed dark comedy series "The Big C" (formerly entitled "The C Word") for Showtime. The Hollywood Reporter today confirms that the network has ordered 13 episodes of the show.

"The Big C," from Sony TV and Original Film, stars Linney as a suburban wife and mother who has recently been diagnosed with cancer and who tries to make the most of her terminal situation. Platt will play her husband, Paul, a immature narcissist.

The show, produced by Sony TV/Original TV will also feature John Benjamin Hickey and Phyllis Somerville.  "Precious" star Gabourey Sidibe is reportedly being considered for a guest stint.

The pilot is written by Darlene Hunt, who is also executive producing with Neal H. Moritz, Vivian Cannon and Linney herself.

Oliver Platt was most recently seen on Broadway in last season's Guys & Dolls opposite Lauren Graham and directed by Des McAnuff.  He received a Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in Conor McPherson's Shining City. Additional theatre credits include the Lincoln Center production of Ubu; Jules Feiffer's Elliot Loves, directed by Mike Nichols; and his acclaimed performance as Sir Toby Belch in Brian Kulick's Twelfth Night.  His film credits include Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon as Bob Zelnick; the Harold Ramis comedy The Year One opposite Jack Black and Michael Cera; Nicole Holofcener's untitled film opposite Catherine Keener; and the upcoming Roland Emmerich's epic 2012 opposite John Cusack, Thandie Newton and Amanda Peet.  He received Golden Globe and back-to-back Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Russell Tupper in Showtime's Huff as well as an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal as White House Counsel Oliver Babish on The West Wing. This year he was nominated again for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his recurring role on Nip/Tuck playing the flamboyant TV producer Freddy Prune.

Laura Linney's Broadway and stage credits include: HEDDA GABLER (for which she won a 1994 Joe A. Callaway Award), HOLIDAY (based on the 1938 movie starring Katharine Hepburn), THE CRUCIBLE, for which she scored a Best Actress Tony nomination in 2002 and SIGHT UNSEEN (also Tony nominated). In 2000, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the lower-budget film "You Can Count on Me," which launched into the Hollywood consciousness. The same year, she also appeared in the role of an artist's model in the low-budget, critically praised film "Maze with Rob Morrow." In 2003, Linney appeared in several notable films, including "Mystic River," "Love Actually" and "The Life of David Gale." Her 2004 performance in "Kinsey," as the title character's wife, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2005, Linney starred in horror film "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and the comedy-drama "The Squid and the Whale;" for the latter role, she received a Golden Globe nomination for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy". She appeared alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Savages," earning a third Oscar nomination. In 2008, Linney won an Emmy Award, in addition to a Golden Globe and SAG award for her portrayal of AbiGail Adams in the HBO mini-series John Adams.

In addition to writing the Oscar nominated hits "Dreamgirls" and "Chicago," Condon won an Oscar for writing "Gods and Monsters." Condon made his directorial debut with "Sister, Sister" (1987), an eerie Southern Gothic mystery starring Eric Stoltz and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Following this, Condon made a series of made-for-TV thrillers, including "Murder 101" (1991), which starred Pierce Brosnan and earned Condon and co-writer Roy Johansen a 1992 Edgar Award for their screenplay. During this period he also wrote the screenplay for the thriller "F/X2" (1991), which was directed by Aussie director Richard Franklin and "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh" (1995). In 2004 Condon was Oscar nominated again for writing and directing "Kinsey." He is a member of the Independent Feature Projects (IFP) in Los Angeles, a non-profit organization which supports independent films, as well as the Independent Writers Steering Committee, which was initiated by the Writers Guild of America (WGA).