Jane Fonda Joins Cast Of Aaron Sorkin's HBO Newsroom Drama

It's been announced that Jane Fonda has signed on for a recurring role in Aaron Sorkin's new HBO drama series. The as-yet-untitled project is set at a cable news network, and TVLine reports that Fonda will play Leona Lansing, CEO of the network's parent company.

Lansing is described as "a titan and her corporate concerns often conflict with the reporting of the news outlet she owns." Will Fonda be drawing upon her own real-life experiences to help her flesh out the character? She was married to CNN founder Ted Turner for ten years, so it will be interesting to see if her character is anything like her ex-husband.

Fonda recently told Rosie O'Donnell that her marriage to Turner helped her prepare for her role in "Monster-in-Law": "Living with him for ten years I learned that you can be completely outrageous and over the top and be totally lovable."

The new drama marks Sorkin's first major television project since his Oscar-winning film "The Social Network." HBO picked up the series back in September, placing an order for ten episodes, and it is expected to premiere in 2012.

Provisionally entitled "Newsroom," the series focuses on a fictional cable news anchor, played by Jeff Daniels, and his staff. Sam Waterston ("Law & Order") plays his boss, and Emily Mortimer ("Shutter Island") is his executive producer. The newsroom staffers are played by Olivia Munn ("The Daily Show"), Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Alison Pill ("Sportsnite"), John Gallagher, Jr. ("Sportsnite") and Thomas Sadoski ("As the World Turns") .

Comments

[Lana Brasil]

03:11 PM on 04/17/2012

This serie is another brilliant Idea from the scriptwriter Aaron Sorkin. I’ve read great comments about it. The context of the serie The Newsroom is very intriguing, thanks too the help og the magnific actress Jane Fonda. I can’t wait to see this serie.

[Puttmastr]

09:22 AM on 12/16/2011

Jane, Please leave the country, you don't deserve to live here.

[NanoViking]

02:45 AM on 12/16/2011

Lookin good Miss Jane.

[RebootTheMedia]

11:36 PM on 12/15/2011

This show just keeps sounding better and better.

[cutesky]

11:19 PM on 12/15/2011

She looks fabulous darling!

[greenygenie]

08:53 PM on 12/15/2011

This sounds fantastic. She'll be aces in it.

[riverhouse]

08:20 PM on 12/15/2011

She's good. She's a smart woman and a good actor, proven throughly in both arenas.

[HC says]

07:11 PM on 12/15/2011

Did she ever serve in the military? She can trash those who do, but won't step in and help herself. By the way, is that all her natural beauty making her look so good or has she had facelifts?

[Muzzle Me]

07:09 PM on 12/15/2011

Great news!!!

[pamelaworm]

06:20 PM on 12/15/2011

It doesn't sound like she has much of a cast to work with.

[tissa]

05:10 PM on 12/15/2011

So glad to see someone in Hollywood with actual wrinkles on their face. Bravo for being your natural self.

[alguien]

04:56 PM on 12/15/2011

she's a beautiful and talented lady and it's always a pleasure to see her in the movies or on TV.

"barbarella" is particular favorite of mine but for exceptional acting,"klute" is really where it's at.

[trouble4]

06:25 PM on 12/15/2011

I went to a Bob Seger concert last week, have always been a fan of his music but never knew the song "Her Strut" was about Jane Fonda.

[RickyPoo]

06:36 PM on 12/15/2011

She was also excellent in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?", "The China Syndrome" and "On Golden Pond".

[alguien]

06:49 PM on 12/15/2011

OMG! "they shoot horses, don't they?" was amazing! for me, watching it in our current time of reality show and people trying to get their stupid lives on TV it really offered a glimpse of a similar mentality in an era in which the technology had not yet caught up to it.

[edfou5]

04:42 PM on 12/15/2011

Mark D below says "I thought we were done with this washed up commie sympathize­­r Hanoi Jane," and he of course is joined by a number of other historically clueless and intellectually weak relics...

You "Hanoi Jane" people are just hilarious, though tiresome and embarrassi­ng.

Washed up? Ms. Fonda probably makes in the range of 100 to 140 times as much per year as you do, and has since the mid Sixties, with the exception of her years with Ted Turner..

Commie sympathize­r? If being against an insanely foolish and evil war meant one was a "commie sympathize­r," then I'll put myself proudly on that list, as will every friend, family member and co-worker I know.

Jane Fonda has been and will always remain a great hero to millions of Americans. She exemplifie­d the very highest definition of the term PATRIOT. She did precisely what the founding fathers of this nation told us to do.

Watch out. Commies under your bed..... ooooooo...­. scary....

[Quitcherbichin]

06:05 PM on 12/15/2011

Then you are all commie sympathizers who wouldn't know the meaning of the word PATRIOT.

[edfou5]

06:15 PM on 12/15/2011

You say “Then you are all commie sympathize­rs who wouldn't know the meaning of the word PATRIOT.”

Whew. I'm silenced by your overwhelming eloquence and depth of logic.

[OneFish]

09:35 PM on 12/15/2011

The "my country right or wrong" crowd are not patriots, they are followers and idiots.
The brave person who is willing to risk themselves to try to point out where their country is going wrong is the true patriot.

[RickyPoo]

06:25 PM on 12/15/2011

Word.

Fanned and faved.

[SouthernBlueBelle]

03:27 PM on 12/15/2011

Wow get over it! That Hanoi crap is so a 60's! She looks terrific and is growing older gracefully.

[RickyPoo]

06:30 PM on 12/15/2011

I would love to see all the anti-Fonda tools see the award-winning documentary "Sir, No Sir!" en masse.

The sight of all of those veterans protesting against the war right next to Jane Fonda would make their heads explode.

[svvalkyrie]

06:56 AM on 12/21/2011

Most vets are anti-war, however you don't trash them. Nam was a 'draftee' war not like our all volunteer military of today, yet why don't you go out in public and bad mouth them now.

[HC says]

07:08 PM on 12/15/2011

what does her growing old and looking lovely have to do with her actions which hurt American soldiers?

[OneFish]

09:36 PM on 12/15/2011

Exactly how did her free speech hurt American soldiers?

[Mark in the D]

02:53 PM on 12/15/2011

Jeez ..I thought we were done with this washed up commie sympathizer Hanoi Jane....enough already ! Come to think of it I wouldn't watch anything she was on anyways..so who cares...never mind....

[RonNYC]

03:14 PM on 12/15/2011

You wish you had her talent. "HJ" is so old.

[kkdkdkdkdk]

05:12 PM on 12/15/2011

Hanoi Jane will be her name into infamy.

[HC says]

07:08 PM on 12/15/2011

Do you approve of her actions in Hanoi?

[Polyphonic79]

03:24 PM on 12/15/2011

Agreed, not a fan of Hanoi Jane.