‘The Republic Of Sarah’: Izabella Alvarez, Nia Holloway & Hope Lauren Join CW Drama Pilot; Kat Candler Directs

Denise Petski
·3 min read

Click here to read the full article.

Izabella Alvarez (Westworld), Nia Holloway (Hawaii Five-O) and Hope Lauren (Supergirl) are set as series regulars opposite Luke Mitchell and Stella Baker in the CW drama pilot The Republic of Sarah, from Jeffrey Paul King, Marc Webb, CBS TV Studios and studio-based Fulwell 73. Additionally, Kat Candler (Queen Sugar, 13 Reasons Why) is set to direct and executive produce the pilot.

Written by King, in The Republic of Sarah, faced with the destruction of her town at the hands of a greedy mining company, rebellious high school history teacher Sarah Cooper (Baker) utilizes an obscure cartographical loophole to declare independence. Now Sarah must lead a young group of misfits as they attempt to start their own country from scratch.

More from Deadline

Alvarez will play Maya. After her mother’s imprisonment in Los Angeles, Maya is sent to Greylock to live with her estranged father. She struggles to adapt to life in rural New England at first, but with some help from her mentor, Sarah, she takes the first steps toward finding herself in her new home.

Holloway will portray Amy/AJ. Sarcastic and cynical, AJ is Sarah’s roommate and longtime friend. They are always there for one another, which makes her an obvious choice to join Sarah’s campaign for independence.

Lauren is Corinne. A bubbly girl next door, Corinne is Sarah’s devoted best friend. She’s fun, friendly, and quick with a laugh… but the claws come out the moment somebody she cares about is threatened. After a whirlwind teenage romance with Sarah’s brother, Danny, Corinne has settled into domestic life as a mother and a teacher, but she can’t help wondering what might’ve been with Danny.

King executive produces with Webb, Mark Martin and Fulwell 73’s Jeff Grosvenor and Leo Pearlman.

Alvarez’s breakout came in a recurring role in season 4 of Shameless. She went on to recur in Westworld, as well as appearances in Disney XD’s Walk the Prank, ABC’s Raised by Wolves and Disney+ family comedy Magic Camp. She currently voices the lead spunky character, Ronnie Anne Santiago, in Nickelodeon’s The Casagrandes, and will next be seen on the big screen in her first leading role and her debut feature Collisions. Alvarez is repped by ICM Partners, Curtis Talent Management, Marks Law Group, Coast To Coast Talent Group (Voiceover).

Holloway can currently be seen guesting on Hawaii 5-0 and is finishing a run as Nala in the touring version of The Lion King, making her the youngest person ever to play the role. The granddaughter of disco star Loleatta Holloway, Holloway’s work includes a series run of the Brandy-produced show Majors and Minors. Holloway is repped by A3 Artists Agency and Seven Summits.

Lauren is best known for her work on The CW’s Supergirl and MTV’s Awkward and. Her other TV credits include TNT’s Major Crimes, ABC’s Fresh Off The Boat, HBO’s Togetherness, and ABC’s Agent Carter, among others. Upcoming, she has a small supporting in Blumhouse/Platinum Dunes/Universal’s Untitled Purge 5. Lauren is repped by Rothman Andrés Entertainment and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner Endlich & Gellman.

Candler was recently executive producer-director on OWN’s Queen Sugar and consulting producer-director on 13 Reasons Why. She’s currently directing on Home Before Dark and Dirty John.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.