CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:
FAMILY TIME (FOX, New!) - FOX and Rocket Science Laboratories ("My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance") have begun casting a new makeover series which will chronicle the experiences of families as everything in their lives, from home to wardrobe to personal aspects, gets changed for the better with the help of experts. Families looking to participate can visit FamilyTimeCasting.com or look for casting calls in Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, Dallas, Boston and Chicago in the coming weeks. It's not clear if the project, which will be executive produced by Ray Giuliani, Chris Cowan and Jean-Michel Michenaud, has received a production order.
HAWAII (A.K.A. PEARL CITY, HAWAII BLUE) (NBC) - The Peacock pilot has a new cast member and a new title. Eric Balfour ("Six Feet Under," "Veritas: The Quest") has come aboard the project, which now features the title "Hawaii." He'll play Christopher Gaines on the project, a Hawaii local who puts his all into his work. Balfour joins the previously cast Ivan Sergei and Sharif Atkins. Jeff Eastin is behind the project, which comes from NBC Studios.
NASCAR: DRIVERS UNSCRIPTED (A.K.A. UNTITLED NASCAR PROJECT) (FX) - Tony Krantz ("24") and Scott Messick ("Survivor") are set to team with the cable channel and NASCAR for a new documentary-style series that goes behind the scenes of, you guessed it, NASCAR. FX has committed to eight one-hour episodes of the project, which will explore what it takes to be a competitor in the high-stakes world of racing. Each episode will center on the drama leading up to a race as seen from the perspectives of three drivers. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeremy Mayfield, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Tony Raines, Brian Vickers, Kenny Wallace and Rusty Wallace are some of the drivers set to appear in the series, which is set to begin production at this month's Daytona 500 for a May premiere date. Krantz and Messick will executive produce the series through the former's Flame Television.
THE O.C. (FOX) - Actor Eric Balfour ("Six Feet Under," "Veritas: The Quest") is in talks to star in a multi-episode arc on the series. He's up for the role of a childhood friend of Benjamin McKenzie's character.
THE OFFICE (NBC) - B.J. Novak ("Punk'd") has joined the cast of NBC's U.S. version of the BBC series. He'll play an office intern named Ryan in the project, as well as serve as an executive story editor on the show. Novak joins the previously cast Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer and John Kasinski in the pilot, which is being written and executive produced by Greg Daniels ("King of the Hill"), along with Ben Silverman and Howard Klein.
THE ROBINSONS: LOST IN SPACE (A.K.A. LOST IN SPACE) (WB) - Newcomer Adrianne Palicki has been cast as Judy Robinson in the Frog's revival of the 1965-68 cult-classic, which is now being developed under the title "The Robinsons: Lost In Space." Marta Kristen played Judy in the original CBS series while Heather Graham played her in the 1998 feature film version. The news marks Palicki's first professional acting gig. Doug Petrie, John Woo, Kevin Burns, Jon Jashni, Terence Change and Suzanne Zizzi are the executive producers of "Robinsons," which comes from 20th Century Fox Television and Fox TV Studios.
UNTITLED BRIAN SCOLARO PROJECT (CBS, New!) - Actor Brian Scolaro ("Three Sisters," ABC's "Platonically Incorrect," NBC's "Everything but the Girl") has signed a talent holding deal with the Eye. The pact falls for CBS to cast him in one of the network's comedy pilots being targeted for fall 2004.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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