Copyright Screen Rant
Taye Diggs is finding his new show after All American by reuniting with the director of a $100 million franchise. Diggs was part of the original All American cast, lending his veteran status to the hit CW sports saga as the head coach of the show's central Beverly Hills High School football. He recruits the main character, Spencer James (Daniel Ezra), and the two develop a complex relationship over the course of five seasons. Diggs' character, Billy Baker, dies in the season 5 episode "Time." Though the character has returned in a dream sequence of sorts, the football drama was never quite the same after his loss. But the How Stella Got Her Groove Back star will be heading to new terrain soon, and reteaming with a frequent collaborator in the process. Deadline reports that Diggs is set to star in the new drama Need To Know at NBC. The series is described as a spy procedural based on actual events, with a focus on a battle-scarred CIA veteran (played by Diggs) who has to team up with a cocky young officer. Together, they are in charge of the CIA’s most daring operations from a secret base in South Florida. Diggs will also executive produce alongside Malcolm D. Lee, marking a reunion between the two after their work on the romantic comedy franchise The Best Man. Lee is the director of the 1999 movie The Best Man, which was produced by Spike Lee, and grossed $34.9 million at the box office on a $9 million budget. Diggs led a cast of stars, which included Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Monica Calhoun, and the debut of Regina Hall. Lee is set to direct Need To Know, which hails from his Blackmaled Productions and Spycraft Entertainment. The pilot episode was written by Alexander Maggio, whose previous credits include similar genre fare in Homeland and FBI. If the project moves forward, Terence Paul Winter will also serve as writer and executive producer. Winter's other TV work includes Boston Blue, the new Blue Bloods spinoff.
