Lea Michele Released from 'Scream Queens' Contract 

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Lea Michele Cast In ABC Mayor Comedy Pilot; What About ‘Scream Queens’?

‘ Lea Michele is set to co-star opposite Brandon Micheal Hall in ABC’s untitled City Mayor comedy pilot, from

To do the ABC half-hour pilot, Michele was released by Ryan Murphy from her deal on the Fox/20th TV series

. Fox has yet to make a decision on the fate of the modestly rated horror-comedy series, with a Season 3 renewal considered unlikely. That said,

is designed in a way that not every character returns every year, so the series conceivably could continue without Michele’s Hester.

Written by Jeremy Bronson, the City Mayor pilot centers on Courtney Rose (Hall), a struggling hip-hop artist who runs for mayor to promote his mixtape — and wins.

No character name or description is being released for Michele at this time as they are likely are being tailored to her and might exploit her musical talents, given the premise of the show. The role that she was offered originally was conceived as Valentina Flores, Courtney’s Chief of Staff and reliable foil.

The project hails from ABC Studios and Jamie Tarses, Scott Stuber & Dylan Clark’s studio-based Bluegrass FanFare. Bronson and Diggs executive produce alongside Tarses, Stuber and Clark. James Griffiths, who directed the pilot for the ABC/ABC Studios comedy series

from the same creators. She is repped by WME and Untitled Entertainment.

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