WBTV’s Kimberly Hope Joins Universal Television As Head Of Casting

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Television has named Kimberly Hope EVP of Talent and Casting. Hope, who joins the Universal Studio Group division after more than a decade at Warner Bros. Television, is stepping into the role previously held by Universal Television’s longtime head of casting Beth Klein who retired at the end of last year after a 37-year career as a casting executive. Hope will oversee casting for Universal Television’s slate, reporting to studio president Erin Underhill.

As SVP of Casting for Warner Bros. Television, Hope supervised casting for such projects as Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), Mrs. Davis (Peacock), The Cleaning Lady (Fox), The Sex Lives of College Girls (Max), Shrill (Hulu), Time Traveler’s Wife (HBO), Lucifer (Fox/Netflix), The Leftovers (HBO), Christmas on the Square (Netflix), Lethal Weapon (Fox), The Vampire Diaries (CW) and Powerless (NBC).

She also developed and managed the Warner Bros. TV “Actors In Training” program, a worldwide virtual open call for collegiate-level acting students from any tier institutions whose studies were interrupted due to the pandemic.

“Kimberly’s casting expertise across a wide breadth of acclaimed series and films is incredible and speaks to her impeccable creative taste,” Underhill said. “Not only does she have extensive experience lining up top-tier talent with groundbreaking parts, but her knack for discovering up-and-coming actors is remarkable. We’re excited and eager to welcome Kimberly to our Universal team!”

Prior to joining Warner Bros. Television in 2013, Hope was a Director of Feature Casting at Paramount Pictures. Her projects included World War Z (Dir. Marc Forester), The Wolf Of Wall Street (Dir. Martin Scorsese), Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Dir. Kenneth Branagh), Anchorman: The Legend Continues (Dir. Adam McKay), Flight (Dir. Robert Zemeckis), Star Trek Into Darkness (Dir. J.J. Abrams), Nebraska (Dir. Alexander Payne) and Interstellar (Dir. Christopher Nolan).

Hope began her career as an independent film and TV casting director based in New York, most notably casting across NBC/UTV’s Law & Order franchise.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Erin and the exceptional creative team at UTV,” Hope said. “In addition to reuniting with some of the most influential creatives of my career, I look forward to collaborating with all the immensely talented folks responsible for producing much of the most impactful storytelling on TV today.”