or


[05/18/07 - 05:15 PM]
Development Update: Week of May 14-18
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

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

Looking to keep track of all the various projects in development? Click here to visit our signature "Devwatch" section. There visitors can view our listings by network, genre, studio and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!


THE ANATOMY OF HOPE (A.K.A. UNTITLED TOM SCHULMAN/RAFAEL YGLESIAS PROJECT) (HBO) - Chris Messina, John Ortiz, Simon Callow, Valerie Pettiford, Matt Craven, Deepti Daryanani, Daryl Edwards, Diego Klattenhoff, Kerry Condon and Sarah Knowlton have all been cast in the pilot, a hospital drama that explores cancer battles from the patients' point of view. In addition, executive producer J.J. Abrams has confirmed he'll direct the hour from a script by Tom Schulman and Rafael Yglesias. As for specifics, Messina will play an oncologist who goes between being overly friendly and aloof; Ortiz will play a recent cancer survivor; Callow is set as one of the top oncologists in the U.S.; Pettiford is playing a terminally ill cancer patient; Craven will play a hyper guy who may have prostate cancer; Edwards will play a patient with advanced cancer; Klattenhoff is playing a recently engaged young man with bone cancer in his leg with Condon as his fiancee; Daryanani is set as a beautiful young doctor; and Knowlton will play a nurse who runs the chemo ward. Abrams, Schulman and Yglesias then are executive producing alongside Bad Robot's Bryan Burk via the company's overall deal with Warner Bros. Television.


BIG LOVE (HBO) - The pay channel has commissioned a trio of three-to-five minute mini-episodes of the series collectively dubbed "Big Love: In the Beginning." All three installments will feature the regular cast and crew as well as fill in various elements of the backstory of the Henricksons. The first, "Post-Partum," is set five years ago when Bill's wife Nicki (Chloe Sevigny) suffers a breakdown after her child is born; the second "Meet the Babysitter," takes place three years ago when youngest wife Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) comes into the picture; and the last, "Moving Day," focuses on an incident set a little over a year ago when the family considers a move to the suburbs. HBO on Demand subscribers will have access to the episodes starting Monday, June 4 before they're actually broadcast on the channel itself on Sunday, June 24 at 7:45/6:45c.


FAMILY MAN (TNT, New!) - William H. Macy ("The Wool Cap") has been tapped to star in a potential new drama series for the cable channel, about a man who organizes charity drives by day and cracks the safes of major corporations by night. Macy himself will co-write the script with longtime collaborator Steven Schachter (who will also direct) as well as executive produce alongside Craig Zadan and Neil Meron via their Sony Pictures Television-based Storyline Entertainment. As for specifics, it's understood the story will be told with the use of flash forwards, with Macy's character seen in prison in the future.


JOURNEYMAN (NBC) - Alex Graves, who helmed the drama pilot to the series, has inked a one-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. The pact calls for Graves to continue on as an executive producer for the first 13 episodes of the project as well as develop new series projects for the studio.


JUDGMENT DAY (Lifetime) - Graham Norton ("The Graham Norton Show") has been tapped to host the pilot, which is described as an in-studio popularity contest where seven women are voted off one by one by a female audience based on how they handle a series of questions and challenges, demonstrating how people all too often judge a book by its cover. Production on the hourlong project, from Simon Andreae ("Ebaum's World") and Fox Television Studios, is set to begin next month in Los Angeles.


MR. & MRS. SMITH (ABC) - Regency Television reportedly is set to begin shopping the pilot to other networks as early as next week. The project, which was co-produced by Doug Liman's Dutch Oven banner, didn't make the cut for ABC's 2007-2008 schedule this week. It's understood creator Simon Kinberg and co-stars Jordana Brewster and Martin Henderson are all still attached to the pilot, however no option length was given.


UGLY BETTY (ABC) - Executive producers Salma Hayek and Jose Tamez have signed a new two-year overall deal with the show's producer ABC Studios. The pact sets up their Ventanarosa Productions at the studio where they'll develop new series projects as well as continue with their duties on "Betty."


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [may 2007]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· ANATOMY OF HOPE, THE (HBO)
· BIG LOVE (HBO)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EBAUM'S WORLD (USA)
· FAMILY MAN (TNT)
· GRAHAM NORTON SHOW, THE (BBC AMERICA)
· JOURNEYMAN (NBC)
· JUDGMENT DAY (LIFETIME)
· MR. AND MRS. SMITH (ABC)
· UGLY BETTY (ABC)
· WOOL CAP, THE (TNT)





[01/15/26 - 02:01 PM]
Video: Tubi Debuts Chaotic Trailer for New Original Film "Terri Joe: Missionary in Miami"
In this wild farce, Southern Belle Terri Joe ventures to Miami to outrun wacky criminals and find a new church where she can atone for her sins.

[01/15/26 - 01:38 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Christmas Week Shoots to a Season High Among Total Viewers - Scoring Show's Best Performance in 10 Months
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 152 consecutive weeks across all key measures.

[01/15/26 - 12:39 PM]
Apple TV Lands New Thriller Starring and Executive Produced by Dakota Fanning, and Created by Emmy Award-Winner Alex Cary
Fanning will star as an undercover Treasury agent in a multi-billion dollar international conglomerate who becomes conflicted between her mission and a belief that her principal target is at his core a good man and worthy of her love.

[01/15/26 - 12:03 PM]
Sophia Bush, Jerry O'Connell and Violet McGraw to Headline Upcoming Tubi Original Movie "Summer's Last Resort"
A high-strung teen's vacation takes a turn when she's trapped with her free-spirited mom's try-hard boyfriend, who also happens to be her vice principal.

[01/15/26 - 12:00 PM]
"Baywatch" Is Back! Open Casting Call on February 18 in Los Angeles
The casting call is searching for actors to fill a wide range of roles, offering aspiring talent a rare opportunity to audition for the series' casting directors.

[01/15/26 - 11:04 AM]
AMC Networks' February Highlights Include "Rise of the 49ers," "Dark Winds," "Gangs of London," and Much More
Other offerings include "The Family Next Door" on Acorn TV, based on New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth's novel of the same name.

[01/15/26 - 11:01 AM]
Paramount+ Greenlights "Fear Not" Starring and Executive Produced by Oscar Winner Anne Hathaway
The limited series written by Bash Doran will premiere around the world on Paramount+ next year.

[01/15/26 - 10:30 AM]
Starz Bolsters Prestige Period Drama Slate with Critically-Acclaimed Limited Series "Amadeus" Starring Will Sharpe, Paul Bettany and Gabrielle Creevy
In the new series, twenty-five-year-old Amadeus arrives in bustling 18th Century Vienna, no longer a child prodigy and craving creative freedom, his world collides with two pivotal figures: his fiercely loyal future wife, Constanze Weber, and devoutly religious court composer, Antonio Salieri.

[01/15/26 - 10:30 AM]
Prime Video Announces February 12 Premiere Date and Reveals Key Art for "Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association"
Directed by Kenan Kamwana Holley, the docuseries will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide and is the latest addition to the Prime membership.

[01/15/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment Enter New Pay-1 Deal with First-of-Its-Kind Global Reach
In the exclusive multi-year agreement, SPE's feature films will stream on Netflix worldwide - an industry-first for Pay-1 - following their full theatrical and home entertainment windows.

[01/15/26 - 10:01 AM]
MGM+ Pulls Back the Curtain to Reveal First Look at "American Classic"
The series will premiere Sunday, March 1 with the first two episodes, followed by a weekly release leading into the season finale on Sunday, April 12.

[01/15/26 - 10:00 AM]
Acorn TV's Gripping, Investigative Conspiracy Thriller "Hidden Assets" Returns with All-New Episodes Monday, January 19
This six-episode series will drop additional episodes weekly on Mondays.

[01/15/26 - 09:05 AM]
Behold! A New "Phineas and Ferb" Movie Has Been Greenlit for Disney+ and Disney Channel
In the movie, Dr. Doofenshmirtz's latest time travel experiment backfires, erasing the moment Phineas' mom meets Ferb's dad - meaning the boys never become brothers and every day is merely adequate.

[01/15/26 - 09:01 AM]
USA Network Orders Second Season of "Everything on the Menu with Braun Strowman"
Across its first eight premiere episodes, in the 18-49 demo, "Everything on the Menu" ranks as one of cable television's highest rated new shows of 2025 and was the #1 entertainment show across all of cable in its regularly aired time slot.

[01/15/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Finding Her Edge" - Final Trailer - Netflix
A former ice dancer returns to the rink with an exciting new partner while holding onto feelings for her old one - her first love.