or


[08/01/03 - 12:00 AM]
Development Update: August 1
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:

A&E'S GHOST TALES (A&E) - The cable channel is looking to adapt several classic novels as original telefilms. Producer Robyn Rosenfeld of Three Muse Productions has inked a development deal with the network to head up the endeavor. Currently five projects are being considered for 2005 air dates however specific details have yet to be announced. Rosenfeld was one of the executive producers of "Creature Features," a collection of remakes of 1950s-era cult horror films that aired on Cinemax two years ago.

ALIAS (ABC) - Jennifer Garner is close to signing a deal with Touchstone Television to keep the actress with the series through its seventh season (should it run that long). The pact is expected to triple her current salary to about $150,000 per episode. Currently, Garner makes about $45,000 per episode and is locked in through the show's sixth season.

CELEBRITY (HBO) - Writers Arleen Sorkin and Paul Slansky ("Fired Up") have landed blind script commitments from both NBC Studios and DreamWorks Television in a pact valued in the low six figures. The duo recently wrote the script for the HBO pilot, which comes from Carsey-Werner-Mandabach and is executive produced by Steve Martin and Joan Stein.

PARADISE (Showtime) - Barbara Hershey ("Lantana") has joined the cast of the pay channel's drama pilot. She'll play Elizabeth Paradise, matriarch of a family-run multimillion-dollar religious ministry, and wife to David Strathairn's character.

TARANUS (ABC) - The Alphabet network is close to greenlighting eight episodes of the historical drama for the 2004-05 season. The project chronicles the power struggle following the murder of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. The network had previously committed to six scripts of the project in lieu of a pilot back in January due to the series' expected hefty price tag. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are the executive producers of the drama along with creator Thomas Wheeler and recently named showrunner Chip Johannessen. Much like NBC's "Kingpin," ABC plans to sell the project as a "limited series" but is open to additional seasons.

So far ABC executives have only okayed the hiring of Johannessen and some pre-production to secure soundstages in Rome. As for specifics, the series centers on Octavius, Julius Caesar's 17-year old nephew, and gladiator slave Taranus, both of whom find themselves on the run when Caesar's murderers target the former, who has been named Rome's next leader. Taranus' job is not only to protect the youth, but make a man and leader out of him. Creator Wheeler has written a bible for three seasons of the series that cover Caesar's succession all the way up to Marc Antony's steamy alliance with Cleopatra. An official decision on the Touchstone Television-distributed project is expected shortly.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [august 2003]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· ALIAS (ABC)
· CELEBRITY (HBO)
· EMPIRE (ABC)
· KINGPIN (NBC)
· PARADISE (SHOWTIME)





[10/03/25 - 02:17 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting '25 MLB Wild Card Series
Across eight games, the MLB Wild Card Series is averaging 4.4 million viewers, up 65% from last year.

[10/03/25 - 12:37 PM]
BET+ Sets October 23 Premiere for "Carl Weber's The Family Business" Season 6
The 10-episode season will premiere with two episodes, followed by one episode weekly, with the finale on Thursday, December 18.

[10/03/25 - 12:07 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues to Shatter Records - Growing Two Weeks in a Row Since Season Premiere for First Time Since 2005
Plus: "High Potential" hit a season high in Total Viewers (4.24 million), growing by double digits over the show's comparable third episode from last fall.

[10/03/25 - 10:57 AM]
Legends, Champions and Icons of October Highlight FOX Sports' Postseason Broadcaster Lineup
FOX Sports begins its Postseason coverage Saturday, October 4 at 4:00 PM ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App and FOX One as the New York Yankees face the Toronto Blue Jays.

[10/03/25 - 10:05 AM]
All-New Season of "Gold Rush" Returns with High-Stake Risks and Land Fury on Friday, November 7 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery
With only a few short months to mine, top bosses and rising underdogs collide in a race to claim new ground, move more dirt, and strike it rich.

[10/03/25 - 09:12 AM]
FOX Nation Secures Exclusive U.S. Rights to Docuseries "Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar"
The acclaimed series will make its anticipated U.S. debut on FOX Nation on Monday, October 6.

[10/03/25 - 08:02 AM]
TNT Sports to Be Exclusive Home of 2025 NLDS & NLCS
Both best-of-five NLDS series begin Saturday, October 4.

[10/03/25 - 08:01 AM]
TNT Sports Sets BIG EAST Men's College Basketball Schedule for Inaugural 2025-26 Season
TNT Sports' regular season BIG EAST men's basketball schedule will feature 40 appearances by St. John's, UConn, Creighton, Xavier, and Marquette, programs that each clinched berths in last season's NCAA Men's Tournament.

[10/03/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "27 Nights" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a woman is admitted by her daughters to a psychiatric clinic for her carefree ways, an expert must judge if she is ill or simply wants to enjoy life.

[10/03/25 - 04:01 AM]
Video: "Steve" - Official Trailer #2 - Netflix
Over one intense day, the devoted head teacher of a last-chance reform school strives to keep his students in line while facing pressures of his own.

[10/03/25 - 03:02 AM]
Miguel Herran Will Play Poli Diaz in "El Porto the Vallecas," the New Film by Daniel Calparsoro for Netflix
Inspired by true events, the film follows the life of Policarpo "Poli" Díaz (Miguel Herrán), a young man from Vallecas who, despite a childhood marked by poverty and family violence, became a boxing legend in 1980s Spain, even fighting for the world lightweight title.

[10/03/25 - 03:01 AM]
Netflix Honors Jane Goodall with Posthumous Release of "Famous Last Words" Docuseries Following Her Passing
The series showcases reflective interviews with some of the world's most influential cultural figures, who agreed to sit down and discuss their legacy, and give their final words, with the understanding that it would only be shared with the world after they passed.

[10/02/25 - 04:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers the Most-Watched WNBA Semifinals Ever
Game 5 between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces averaged 1.8 million viewers, peaking at 2.1 million.

[10/02/25 - 03:01 PM]
Video: "Twisted Wonderland" - Trailer - Disney+
Your favorite villains reimagined in ways you've never dared to dream.

[10/02/25 - 02:51 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting Day One of MLB Wild Card Series
Coverage of Red Sox versus Yankees averaged 6.5 million viewers, peaking at 9.9 million.