The Young and the Restless alum Victoria Rowell (ex-Drucilla Winters) has been busy in court, trying to win a lawsuit against CBS and Sony, but that hasn't stopped her from continuing in the entertainment industry.
The former daytime actress is turning her novel, The Rich and the Ruthless, into a TV movie starring Brenda Epperson (ex-Ashley, Y&R) and Mykel Shannon Jenkins (ex-Detective Baker, The Bold and the Beautiful). [NOTE: The title of the book was originally The Young and the Ruthless.]
"In a time of breathtaking discord around race, gender and economic inclusion, I am proud as executive producer, director and co-writer to present The Rich and the Ruthless, which embodies all that entertainment and media can and should be," Rowell says of the film, which is co-written by Daytime Confidential's Jamey Giddens and follows the life of feisty soap siren Calysta Jeffries.
The plot, according to DC, centers around legendary businessman and producer Augustus Barringer (Richard Brooks), who is left reeling when a long-running soap opera is evicted from its Hollywood soundstage after 20 years, and he moves production to the family's sleek Barringer villa in Montego Bay.
"His regal and jealous wife Kitty (Rowell), a retired soap opera actress and socialite battling addiction, isn't keen on the change but eventually agrees," the site states. "Veronica, the Barringers' business-minded daughter and president of the production company, fully embraces her father's decision. Augustus' star, the drop dead gorgeous Calysta Jeffries, sets the screen on fire alongside the chiseled Derrick Taylor. Clearly their attraction spills off the screen. Needless to say, not everyone is happy about Calysta's popularity, especially aging suds queen Alison Fairchild Roberts (Chrystale Wilson) who is threatened by her younger co-star!
"It's lights, cameras, calamity and claws, honey! Alison's husband and the show's producer Randall Roberts (Bodine) has his own plans for Barringer Dramatic Television Company and is also eager to add Calysta to his roster of conquered starlets. Always close by is Calysta's support team, Grandma Jones (DuPois), an avid soap opera fan, and the company's longtime confidante, 60-something serial soap star Wilie Turner (Colyar) who hates taking a pay cut and eases tensions on and off the set with his sharp wit."
The Rich and the Ruthless has just begun production in both Los Angeles and Jamaica via Days Ferry Productions.
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