Back on 10.13.15 we told you that Lena Dunham was directing the MAX pilot optioned by the network. Apparently there must be great interest in seeing the project go 
forward, even though it has not been granted carte blanche series status. Surely they must be hoping for another Dunham hit.
Announcements have now surfaced of the cast shaping up for the pilot including a recast of the title character. As reported in that previous post Lisa Joyce was in as Max, but she opted for a role in Issa Rae’s HBO series INSECURE instead. Now in her place is Zoe Kazan (pictured) as the young feminist of the story. MAX is a single-camera comedy described as a raucous comedy set in 1963 about the struggles of second wave feminism, centered on an ambitious magazine writer named Maxine Woodruff looking for liberation. Maxine is an enthusiastic, if misguided, low-level magazine employee who stumbles into the forefront of a civil rights movement both she and the world may not be ready for.
Kazan is no stranger to HBO as she appeared in the HBO Miniseries OLIVE KITTERIDGE as Denise Thibodeau, the clerk in Mr. Kitteridge’s pharmacy and Jonathan Ames’ girlfriend Nina in Season Two of BORED TO DEATH. She also appears in the pilot for David Simon’s THE DEUCE. Joining her in that pilot will be a classic cinematic face – Peter Fonda. He will be Max’s father, Edward Woodruff. If the show goes to series Dad will only be a recurring role. More permanent players will be Rebecca Drysdale as Donna Pinasco who is a colleague of Max’s at the magazine desk. Edgar Blackmon plays Clarence the token coffee boy and confidante to Max.
Executive producing the show are a quartet of GIRLS executive producers, creator/star Dunham, Murray Miller, who is also the show’s head writer, Jenni Konner and Ilene Landress. Together they all hope to whip this up as a series for the network. More than likely, we won’t continue to report on this concept until we learn that it has been picked up. Just because it is a Dunham-blessed work doesn’t guarantee it is a go. We will wait this one out.
(Source: Deadline)
