 |
 |
[03/11/08 - 05:37 PM]
Development Update: March 10-11
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!
DRIVING AROUND WITH JONI (HBO, New!) - Jhoni Marchinko ("Men in Trees") has scored a pilot commitment from the pay channel for a new comedy about an eccentric, successful 40-year-old widow who spends her days driving around Los Angeles with her French bulldog, looking for meaning in her life after the sudden death of her husband. The project was originally set up at Warner Bros. Television where Marchinko had an overall deal prior to its termination during the WGA strike. Marchinko then will pen and executive produce "Joni" while Warner Bros. will still retain a piece of the show but not be creatively involved.
ELEVENTH HOUR (CBS) - Marley Shelton ("Grindhouse") has been tapped as the female lead in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama pilot, about Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell), a special science adviser to the government who - with his feisty female bodyguard Rachel Young (Shelton) in tow - saves people from the worst abuses of science. Ashley Jensen originated Shelton's role in the U.K. version. Danny Cannon is directing the hour from a script by Mick Davis with the pair executive producing alongside Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman for Granada International and Warner Bros. Television.
HARPER'S ISLAND (CBS, New!) - Feature writer Ari Schlossberg ("Hide and Seek") has booked a pilot presentation order from the Eye and CBS Paramount Network Television for a new horror-themed drama that unfolds during the course of a season as a group of friends meet on an island off the Seattle coast for a destination wedding. "Jericho's" Jon Turteltaub is on board to direct and executive produce alongside his Junction Entertainment partners Karim Zreik and Dan Shotz. The latter pair then will serve as co-executive producers, as will Schlossberg.
MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL (CBS) - Josh Cooke ("Big Day") is set to star opposite Tim Peper in the multi-camera comedy pilot, about two best friends who own a bike shop and whose relationship becomes complicated when one (Peper) starts dating the ex-wife of the other (Cooke). Mike Sikowitz is behind the half-hour, which is set up at Sony Pictures Television.
THE SAINT (New!) - Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, Jorge Zamacona, Bill Macdonald, Roger Moore and Geoffrey Moore are set to team to produce an independently financed two-hour TV movie/backdoor pilot based on Leslie Charteris's famed novels about debonair international thief Simon Templar. Zamacona and Macdonald previously set up the project at TNT last season (read the story) but it didn't move forward. The rights subsequently reverted back to them, after which Fontana and Levinson came aboard. Nehst Studios is behind the project while James Purefoy ("Rome") in talks to topline. Production then is set to begin next month with filming in Budapest, Hungary, New York and Puerto Rico. Since the 1997 feature starring Val Kilmer, both UPN (director John McTiernan and producer ATG in 2000) and ABC (writer Stephen Nathan and producer FremantleMedia North America in 2004) have taken stabs at developing a new small screen take.
UNTITLED NICK LACHEY PROJECT (MTV, New!) - Nick Lachey is developing a "Fame"-esque reality series set at his alma mater, the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati. The untitled project then would track its students, blending their performances with a narrative about what takes place in the school. Marc Platt and Russell Heldt are executive producing alongside Lachey.
WORST WEEK (CBS) - Erinn Hayes ("The Winner") has landed the female lead in the comedy pilot, about a guy named Sam (Kyle Bornheimer) and his rocky relationship with the parents of his fiancee (Hayes) during a family holiday. Her character, Melanie "Mel" Cook, is further detailed in the casting notice as follows: "30. Sam's fiancee. She's a beautiful, warm woman who is unaffectedly striking, even when she's not wearing any make-up. Currently in her first trimester of pregnancy, Mel is throwing up on a regular basis and just trying to soldier on until she's feeling better. Very attached to Sam, she's hoping that his visit for Dick's birthday will sweeten up her parents and set the stage for their announcement of Mel's pregnancy and engagement. However, Sam's surreal string of blunders, gaffes and boneheaded misfortunes make it very hard for Mel to convince her folks that Sam is indeed Mr. Right." Jay Malone also stars in the half-hour, which comes from Universal Media Studios and executive producers Jimmy Mulville, Marc Buckland and Matt Tarses.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [march 2008]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[01/26/26 - 11:00 AM]
What's New on HBO Max This February
Catch new seasons of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" and "Like Water for Chocolate," and series debuts of late-night series "Neighbors" and Italian series "Portobello."
|
[01/26/26 - 10:02 AM]
From "Spider-Man" to "Doctor Strange": Stream Sam Raimi's Iconic Films on Hulu Ahead of "Send Help"
Raimi's signature style has shaped some of the most iconic films of the past two decades.
|
[01/26/26 - 10:00 AM]
NBC and Peacock Will Be "4K All Day" Feb. 8 for Super Bowl LX and the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games
This marks the first time a Super Bowl and Olympic Games will be presented in 4K HDR on the NBC broadcast network and the Peacock streaming service.
|
[01/26/26 - 09:50 AM]
Turner Classic Movies Becomes the Home of the Iconic Looney Tunes Library
Beginning in February, TCM will introduce the Looney Tunes library to its monthly programming lineup, launching with Bugs Bunny as TCM's Star of the Month for the first time.
|
[01/26/26 - 09:34 AM]
FX's "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" Set to Premiere with Three-Episodes on FX and Hulu Thursday, February 12
The first installment in Ryan Murphy's anthology is a limited series inspired by Elizabeth Beller's book "Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy."
|
[01/26/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model" - Official Trailer - Netflix
What started as a glamorous launchpad for aspiring models became a pop-culture juggernaut defined by explosive drama, public meltdowns, and controversies that still fuel viral moments today.
|
[01/26/26 - 09:00 AM]
"The 79th Annual Tony Awards" Will Broadcast Live from Radio City Music Hall Sunday, June 7 on CBS and Paramount+
Nominations for the 2026 Tony Awards will be announced on Tuesday, May 5.
|
[01/26/26 - 08:00 AM]
Date Announcement: "The Testaments" Coming April 8
"The Testaments," a new chapter from the showrunner and executive producers of "The Handmaid's Tale," premieres April 8 with three episodes, then weekly thereafter.
|
[01/26/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Salvador" - Official Trailer - Netflix
On a night of violent clashes, an ambulance driver learns his daughter is involved with hooligans. When things spiral, he'll stop at nothing for answers.
|
[01/26/26 - 05:31 AM]
Video: "Miracle: The Boys of '80" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This is the story of the "Miracle on Ice," when the 1980 US Hockey Team beat the USSR in the Olympic semi-finals at the height of the Cold War to bring home a gold medal.
|
[01/26/26 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "Crap Happens" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Rapper Toni returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral and suddenly finds himself juggling career dreams and surprise fatherhood to a teenage son.
|
[01/26/26 - 01:50 AM]
Netflix Presents Our 2026 Series and Films and Announces New Projects - What Next? Spain Presentation
The company announced three new projects currently in production or post-production.
|
[01/25/26 - 03:01 PM]
Video: "Sins of Kujo" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Does operating in "gray areas" make him a just lawyer or a wicked one? A crime drama that pushes the concepts of law and morality to the extreme.
|
[01/23/26 - 12:44 PM]
"20/20" Improves on the Previous Week in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, Hitting an 8-Week High in the Key Adult News Demo
"20/20" ranked No. 1 in its two-hour time period in Adults 25-54.
|
[01/23/26 - 12:28 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" posted double-digit increases week to week in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
|
|
|
|
