‘Turtles All The Way Down’: J. Smith-Cameron, Poorna Jagannathan & Maliq Johnson Board New Line HBO Max Movie

Anthony D'Alessandro
·3 min read

EXCLUSIVE: New Line’s feature take of John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down has added three: J. Smith-Cameron, Poorna Jagannathan and Maliq Johnson. They’re joining previously announced Isabela Merced, Cree Cicchino, Felix Mallard and Judy Reyes in the HBO Max movie.

Smith-Cameron plays Professor Abbott, Jagannathan appears as Dr. Singh and Johnson portrays Mychal.

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The pic tackles anxiety through its 17-year-old protagonist, Aza Holmes. It’s not easy being Aza, but she’s trying… trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, and a good student, all while navigating an endless barrage of invasive, obsessive thoughts that she cannot control. When she reconnects with Davis, her childhood crush, Aza is confronted with fundamental questions about her potential for love, happiness, friendship, and hope in the face of her mental illness. The book debuted as an instant No. 1 bestseller with rights sold in over 30 countries, and more than 2 million copies in print. Green is the author of six books including The Fault in Our Stars which was a hit 20th Century Fox movie.

Marks is helming from a screenplay by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and Isaac Klausner are producing. Green is executive producing alongside Aptaker and Berger.

Smith-Cameron is a series regular on the Emmy and SAG Award winning signature HBO series Succession which will return for a fourth season. On the show, she plays Gerri Kellman, Waystar Royco’s General Counsel, which notched her a Critics Choice Award nomination. Up next, Smith-Cameron will star in Blumhouse/Focus Feature’s Vengeance, which is B.J. Novak’s directorial debut. She’s also in the upcoming indie drama The Year Between. Smith-Cameron recently starred in Sundance-winner Christina Choe’s film Nancy for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her striking portrayal of a mother whose child went missing three decades prior. Smith-Cameron is repped by Principal Entertainment LA and Gersh.

Jagannathan is best known for her portrayal of Dr. Nalini Vishwakumar in Mindy Kaling’s critically acclaimed hit series Never Have I Ever, recently renewed for a fourth season by Netflix. She also starred in HBO’s Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated show, The Night Of. Recent television credits include Hulu’s Emmy-winning limited series The Act, Hulu’s award-winning Ramy, and HBO’s critically acclaimed Big Little Lies. Jagannathan also starred in HBO’s Share by A24 and was in the Bollywood cult comedy Delhi Belly. Upcoming is the Netflix feature The Out-Law. Jagannathan is repped by Gersh, Untitled Entertainment, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox.

Johnson portrayed Jayson Jackson in Netflix’s Grand Army. TV series credits include Power, When They See Us, Show Me A Hero, Golden Boy, Christmas at Rockefeller, Conan and Saturday Night Live. Johnson played the role of Young Vic in the Jamie Foxx directed feature And She Was My Eve. He can also be seen in the films Knucklehead, The Many Saints of Newark, The Silent Treatment and Skin. Johnson is repped by Buchwald, Teri B Talent & GGSSC.

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