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") .