 |
 |
[12/21/07 - 06:31 PM]
Development Update: Week of December 17-21
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!
AMC ORIGINAL SERIES (AMC, New!) - The cable channel has added four new projects to its development slate. Said efforts will eventually result in one of two pilots the network plans to order next year. The other pilot will be based off its previously announced projects. As for the newcomers, they are: "Fort Smith," from "24's" Robert Cochran, about Isaiah Parker, who polices the Five Points - comprised of five different Indian tribes - with his posse in the lawless post-Civil War West; an untitled hour from Alison Anders and Terry Graham, about Comanche leader Quanah Parker, who fights the U.S. Army for the rights to his tribe's land; "Greenfields," from playwright Nicky Silver ("Raised in Captivity"), about a psychiatrist who breaks his patient out of jail; and "Uninvited Guest," from "Less Than Zero" screenwriter Harley Peyton and Mandalay's Peter Guber and Elizabeth Stephens, about a character who suffers from multiple personality disorder.
THE AMERICAN MALL (MTV, New!) - MTV is teaming with "High School Musical" producers Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush for a romantic comedy/musical set at a mall in the vein of the Disney Channel sensation. Nina Dobrev and Rob Mayes will topline the project, about Ally, a high school grad/singer-songwriter (Dobrev), who battles to save her mother's music store and to keep the boy she loves (Mayes), a musically gifted young janitor who fronts a garage band. Autumn Reeser also stars as Ally's mean-girl adversary Madison, the spoiled and ruthless heiress to the owners of the mall, while Wade Allain-Marcus, Bianca Collins, Rodney To, Neil Haskell, Brooke Lyons, David Baum, Blythe Auffarth, Yassmin Alers, Bresha Webb, Neil Haskell and Al Sapienza round out the cast. Production is set to begin next month at a mall in Provo, Utah with Shawn Ku ("Pretty Dead Girl") directing. Borden is producing "Mall," which was originally set up as a feature at Columbia Pictures prior to "Musical's" release, with Rosenbush and Arata Matsushima serving as executive producers. "Mall" then will premiere this summer with a DVD release a couple of days later.
BACKYARDS & BULLETS (NBC) - The Peacock has opted not to move forward with the drama pilot, about a suburban Neighborhood Watch group gone awry. The news comes as a result of the network letting its options on the cast expire. The show's ensemble included Abigail Spencer, Billy Burke, Casey LaBow, Enuka Okuma, Jessalyn Gilsig, Kristen Lehman, Lou Diamond Phillips, Mathew St. Patrick and Richard Ruccolo. Charles McDougall directed the Sony Pictures Television/Pariah-based hour from a script by Ed Decter and John J. Strauss. Pariah's Gavin Polone and Jamie Tarses also served as executive producers.
COCO CHANEL (Lifetime, New!) - The cable channel is developing a biopic/mini-series about the famed fashion icon featuring Barbora Bobulova and Shirley MacLaine as the designer in the early and later periods of her life, respectively. Christian Duguay ("Human Trafficking") is on board to direct the Alchemy Television Group-based project, which is currently filming. Enrico Medioli ("Once Upon a Time in America") penned the script while Lux Vide SpA, Pampa Productions, Rai and France 2 are co-producing alongside Alchemy. The two-part effort, which is being done in cooperation with Chanel's estate, tracks her upbringing in an orphanage outside Paris through her move to reinvent herself in her 70s, after spending years in exile.
KAYA (MTV) - MTV development chief Tony DiSanto confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter this week the series, the network's first scripted effort in more than five years, won't be returning for a second season. "Kaya" opened its 10-episode run on Monday nights following "The Hills" before being banished to Saturday nights after failing to capitalize on said lead-in. DiSanto however was quick to note the network still plans to push forward in the scripted genre as several projects are in the works, including an untitled effort from Adam Ripp and Steven Wolfson as well as "Darius," from "Law & Order" veteran Michael S. Chernuchin.
SAINT OF CIRCUMSTANCE (FOX, New!) - "The Office" alum David Denman is set to topline a new single-camera comedy pilot for FOX about a man going through a midlife crisis who quits his dead-end office job to be a paramedic on the night shift. "Scrubs" star Zack Braff is in talks to direct the ABC Studios-based half-hour, which was created by Braff's brother, Adam ("Andrew Henry's Meadow"). Denman then will play the lead role of Wayne with the Braffs executive producing alongside Emile Levisetti. Production on the pilot is expected to begin after the WGA strikes concludes.
UNTITLED CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER PROJECT (ABC) - ABC Studios has extended the options on the entire cast of the multi-camera comedy pilot, about a family man (Cedric the Entertainer) who always has been the proud breadwinner but has difficulty adjusting when his wife's (Regina Hall) hobby turns into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Production on the project, which also stars Charles Malik Whitfield, Jasmine McNeal, Melissa Peterman, Peter Mackenzie and Steven Wash, Jr., was completed in October. Ken Whittingham directed from a script by co-creators Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Soccio and Rock Reuben.
WIFE SWAP (ABC) - Lifetime's purchase of the show's off-network rights from Disney-ABC Domestic Television on Tuesday (read the story) is said to be valued at $250,000 per episode. The four-year pact, which begins in October, gives the cable channel the right to play reruns of the series twice a day.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [december 2007]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[01/14/26 - 10:36 AM]
OWN Greenlights First-Ever "Belle Collective" Spinoff in 2026, Expanding the Franchise as Its #1 Friday Night Series Returns
The franchise spotlights dynamic women who embody the strength, ambition and pride of Black female entrepreneurship, redefining what it means to be a modern southern Belle who unapologetically carves her own path.
|
[01/14/26 - 09:01 AM]
BET's "The Coach Vick Experience," Executive Produced by NFL Legends Michael Vick, Michael Strahan, and Deion Sanders, Premieres February 4, 2026
The emotional, high-stakes docuseries follows Michael Vick as he returns home to Virginia for the biggest challenge of his life - stepping in as a first-time head coach tasked with reigniting Norfolk State's struggling football program.
|
[01/14/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Paul McCartney: Man on the Run" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
From Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville, the film chronicles the arc of McCartney's solo career as he faces down a myriad of challenges while creating new music to define a new decade.
|
[01/14/26 - 08:31 AM]
Taylor Tomlinson Returns to Her Roots with Her Eagerly Anticipated New Netflix Comedy Special "Prodigal Daughter"
Tomlinson's fourth comedy special premieres globally on February 24, 2026, only on Netflix.
|
[01/14/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: Apple TV Debuts Trailer for Season Two of Emmy Award-Nominated "Yo Gabba GabbaLand!"
Season two brings this group together with a new roster of musical guests to create dynamic performances and original songs to help kids and families uncover life lessons through music, movement and joyful discovery.
|
[01/14/26 - 08:30 AM]
TLC's "90 Day: The Single Life" Returns with Second Chances, Shocking Secrets, and New Romances
The new season follows singles on their journeys to romance, some of which lead to unexpected sparks between familiar 90 Day faces.
|
[01/14/26 - 08:01 AM]
Season Three of the HBO Original Drama Series "Euphoria" Debuts April 12
A group of childhood friends wrestle with the virtue of faith, the possibility of redemption, and the problem of evil.
|
[01/14/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 4 - Official Trailer - Netflix
On trial for a murder he didn't commit, Mickey must face a relentless DA as he fights to prove his innocence, expose the real killer and save his firm.
|
[01/14/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Bluff" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
As her tranquil life is shattered by the return of her vengeful former captain, a skilled ex-pirate must confront her bloody past to save her family.
|
[01/14/26 - 06:29 AM]
"State of Fear", The First Spin-Off of a Netflix Brazil Production, Premieres February 11
Directed by Pedro Morelli and produced by O2 Filmes, the feature is the first spin-off of a Netflix Brazil series, "Brotherhood," created by Morelli.
|
[01/14/26 - 05:19 AM]
HBO Max Announces Global Premiere of "Madam Beja," Debuting February 2
In addition to its national release, the production will debut simultaneously in more than 100 countries and territories, including Latin America, Portugal, Spain, France, the United States, Canada, and Hong Kong.
|
[01/14/26 - 04:01 AM]
Great American Media Begins Production on "An Ozark Mountain Christmas" at Beloved Silver Dollar City, Transforming Branson, Missouri, into a Real-Life Christmas Wonderland
The film brings the full magic of the season to life at one of America's most cherished Christmas destinations - the City of Branson and Silver Dollar City.
|
[01/14/26 - 03:46 AM]
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis to Compose Original Score for "Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole"
Renowned for their haunting, emotive soundtracks - spanning films such as "The Proposition," "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," and "Wind River" - Cave and Ellis bring a depth and intensity that perfectly echoes the psychological complexity and Nordic noir sensibility of Nesbø's universe.
|
[01/14/26 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "Motorvalley" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Desperate to gain control of her family's racing empire, a young heir hires a reckless driver and a fallen star to compete in the Italian Gran Turismo.
|
[01/14/26 - 01:31 AM]
Disney+ Inks UK First-Look Deal with Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters' Award-Winning Matriarch Productions
Matriarch Productions, along with The Story Collective, and Water & Power Productions are behind the critically acclaimed Hulu Original series "A Thousand Blows", with the highly anticipated second season now available to stream on Disney+.
|
|
|
|
