Billy Crystal is coming to television in the new Apple TV+ limited series Before, which sees the actor headline and executive produce.
According to Deadline, the new show’s details are still being determined as the project continues to take shape at Apple TV+. Of the details made available, Before is written by Sarah Throp and is set to be directed by Barry Levinson.
(Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
Crystal will feature as Eli, a child psychiatrist and recent widower who amid mourning his wife, meets a troubled young boy. Along with Crystal, Thorp, Levinson, and Eric Roth are all attached to executive produce the series from Paramount Television Studios.
This marks Crystal’s first live-action TV role since 2015’s The Comedians in which he starred alongside Josh Gad on FX. He previously featured in ABC’s late ’70s-early ’80s sitcom Soap appearing in more than 70 episodes.
Most recently, Crystal lent his vocals to the Disney+ series Monsters at Work, reprising his animated role as Mike Wazowski from the Monsters Inc. franchise. The actor previously collaborated with Levinson on the 2002 film Analyze That.
Levinson’s recent TV projects have included Showtime‘s City on a Hill and Hulu‘s Dopesick on which he served as executive producer. His other upcoming projects include The Missing and Monsieur Spade. Meanwhile, Roth is known for co-writing Dune and penning the upcoming Martin Scorsese flick Killers of the Flower Moon, which will stream on Apple TV+.
Stay tuned for more details on Before which continues to take shape at Apple TV+.