Kaley Cuoco to Star as Doris Day in Warner Bros. Limited Series
Kaley Cuoco, the Golden Globe-nominated star of HBO Max sleeper hit series “The Flight Attendant,” is set to play Doris Day in an upcoming limited series over at Warner Bros. Television. The show will be based on A.E. Hotchner’s 1976 biography of the Academy Award-nominated “Pillow Talk” actress’ life, which she historically kept private, from her days as a big band singer to her death at 97 in 2019. She was also one of the last classic legends of Hollywood, as well as a dedicated animal-rights activist. Her other film credits include “Calamity Jane,” “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” “Move Over, Darling,” and “The Thrill of It All.”
Cuoco’s Yes, Norman Productions and Warner Bros. Television are teaming with Berlanti Production again after the success on their “Flight Attendant” series, though no network has been confirmed for the project. Warner Bros. is the studio that Doris Day first signed to, beginning with the film “Romance on the High Seas” from director Michael Curtiz, and nearly 40 more went on to follow. She starred in light musical comedies like “On Moonlight Bay” and “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” but could also do introspective character studies like “Young at Heart” with Frank Sinatra and “Love Me or Leave Me” with James Cagney, plus thrillers such as “Storm Warning,” and “Julie.” Doris Day is best known, however, for her comedies of manners with screen partner Rock Hudson.
Cuoco’s interest in a Doris Day biographical series was first revealed by the actress in a Variety profile on the heels of her surprise Globe nomination for “The Flight Attendant” as an alcoholic trying to solve a murder she can’t recall. “I never thought I’d get a nomination for anything, ever — that was not a goal, or a thought in my mind,” Cuoco, otherwise known for her role on “The Big Bang Theory,” said. “I’m going to keep going up, and there’s nothing stopping me now. And I feel there’s a lot more on the horizon, because I think my career just started.” Season 2, which focuses on her character Cassie’s “sober journey,” is eyeing a 2022 release in HBO Max after the eight episodes of Season 1 dropped in December last year.