 |
 |
[04/01/08 - 10:03 AM]
Development Update: Tuesday, April 1
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!
90210 (The CW) - Dustin Milligan ("Runaway") is the first to be cast on the much-ballyhooed project, a spin-off of the seminal 1990s FOX soap. He'll play Ethan Ward, who's described in the casting notice as follows: "Legal 18 to play 16. Though no one will confuse Ethan with a brainiac. He possesses other qualities highly valued in the 90210. Namely, he's beautiful. He's also likable, genuine, a star athlete. (Think Chris Klein circa "Election"). Not surprisingly, Ethan is extraordinarily popular. Or at least he's popular until minute 15 of the pilot when his girlfriend absolutely destroys him at her decadent Sweet 16 party. (She includes a bound tome of puppy-doggish emails sent from Ethan to the teacher he loves in each of the 500 gift bags she hands out at her party). It's in the aftermath of this bloodletting Ethan falls in with a new crowd - our crowd." Rob Thomas is behind the project, which is based at CBS Paramount Network Television.
ARMY WIVES (Lifetime) - Dee Johnson is the latest showrunner to exit the cable drama, which returns for its 18-episode second season this summer. Johnson will be succeeded by Nick Thiel ("Burn Notice"), the fourth person to assume said role (the others being Samantha Corbin-Miller and Jeff Melvoin). There he'll serve alongside creator Katherine Fugate and fellow executive producer Mark Gordon. Industry insiders suggest Johnson's departure is the result of creative differences however no specifics were given. ABC Studios and the Mark Gordon Co. are behind the series.
CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS) - William Petersen has inked a one-year deal with producer CBS Paramount Network Television to continue in his role as Gil Grissom on the veteran Thursday drama next season. It's understood he'll be paid roughly $600,000 per episode for his acting/executive producing services during the 2008-09 season however he won't appear in every episode. The gaps are designed to accommodate Peterson's non-TV projects, including the play "Dublin Carol" at the Upstairs Theatre in Chicago from November 13-December 21.
ELEVENTH HOUR (CBS) - "Sleeper Cell" creators Cyrus Voris and Ethan Reiff have been named the potential showrunners of the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama pilot, which stars Rufus Sewell as a special science adviser to the government who, with his feisty female bodyguard Rachel (Marley Shelton) in tow, saves people from the worst abuses of science. The Eye gave a hefty series commitment to the Warner Bros. Television-based project - essentially 13 put episodes - late last year. Danny Cannon is directing the pilot from a script by Mick Davis. Bruckheimer, Cannon and Davis then are executive producing alongside Granada International's Robert Green and Jerry Bruckheimer Television's Jonathan Littman. As for Voris and Reiff, the pair previously teamed with Bruckheimer on an untitled hour that received a put pilot commitment back in August.
HARPER'S ISLAND (CBS) - Australian actress Samantha Noble, Ryan Merriman ("Final Destination 3") and Elaine Cassidy ("The Ghost Squad") are the first to be cast on the drama, a horror story that unfolds over the course of a season as a group of friends meet on an island off the Seattle coast for a destination wedding. Merriman and Noble will play the groom and the bride with Cassidy as the groom's childhood friend with a tragic past. Jon Turteltaub is directing and executive producing the CBS Paramount Network Television-based project from a script by Ari Schlossberg. Junction Entertainment's Dan Shotz and Karim Zreik also serve as co-executive producers.
THE MEANT TO BE'S (CBS) - Ioan Gruffudd ("Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer") is set to star opposite Amy Smart on the drama pilot, about a dead woman (Smart) sent back to Earth to help people improve their lives. He'll play "The Man," who's detailed in the casting notice as follows: "First seen as a homeless man loitering outside Janine's high-end art gallery and making cryptic remarks, he is condescendingly handed a twenty by Janine in the hopes he'll move out of her way. Later we discover him as The Man, Janine's tour guide and mentor in the limbo she's entered after death. Ageless; tall, dark, and handsome; playful yet old world; rugged yet wise, he has been trapped as a "Meant to Be" (elite group of souls who give people on earth a nudge in the correct direction for their respective fates) for decades, possibly longer, and yearns to move on, preferably to Heaven. After performing a "relap" on a teenage boy and thus averting the young man's death, The Man is given another 20 years penalty, so it looks like he'll be mentoring Janine for a long time in her new role." Glenn Gordon Caron is behind the hour, which is based at CBS Paramount Network Television.
THE MENTALIST (CBS) - Robin Tunney ("Prison Break") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Patrick Jane (Baker), a mentalist who uses his skills of observation to solve crimes as an independent detective working with the police. She'll play Teresa Lisbon, a career-focused lead agent. Amanda Righetti, Owain Yeoman, Shaun Toub and Tim Kang also star in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which David Nutter is directing from a script by Bruno Heller.
MYTHOLOGIAL X (CBS) - Elizabeth Reaser ("Grey's Anatomy") has been tapped for the lead role on the drama pilot, about a woman who discovers via a psychic that she has already dated and dumped the man she was supposed to marry. Her character, Michaela (who may be renamed Annabel), is detailed as follows: "30-35, a quick-witted, sexy, floral shop owner whose life is changed when a tarot card reader informs her that she must marry one of her ex-boyfriends within a year or she will remain single forever. Michaela is combination earth mother/sex kitten with a little Lucille Ball thrown in for good measure. Part ball-buster, part nurturer, she is a charismatic "girl next door" who easily makes the transition from being "one of the guys" to seducer. She's a romantic at heart but her talent for snark and sarcasm sometimes promotes a different perception." Rachel Boston also stars in the project, which comes from 20th Century Fox Television, creator Diane Ruggiero and director Timothy Busfield.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [april 2008]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[03/11/26 - 01:44 PM]
Academy Award Winner Tommy Lee Jones Joins Season Two Cast of "The Lowdown" Coming to FX and Hulu
Jones joins previously announced Betty Gilpin in the next season, which begins production this spring in Tulsa.
|
[03/11/26 - 01:22 PM]
Lifetime Announces Two New "Ripped from the Headlines" Films for Spring
Nancy Travis and Stana Katic are among the featured talent.
|
[03/11/26 - 01:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Studios Signs Development Commitment with Frankie Quinones for New Comedy Series
Quiñones is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian and actor known for his viral character, "Creeper" and for starring in the Hulu comedy series "This Fool."
|
[03/11/26 - 11:30 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Women's College Basketball Regular Season Since 2008-09
ESPN networks were home to six of the top 10 women's college basketball regular season games across all networks this season and 29 of the top 30 on cable.
|
[03/11/26 - 11:01 AM]
98th Oscars Rounds Out Show Presenters
Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Ewan McGregor, Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver are all on tap.
|
[03/11/26 - 10:05 AM]
Josh Gates Returns with an All-New Season of "Expedition Files," Revealing Striking New Revelations Behind History's Biggest Mysteries
The series is returning with a brand-new season on Wednesday, April 1 at 9pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
|
[03/11/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Color Theories by Julio Torres" Debuts March 27
In his second HBO comedy special, Peabody-winner Julio Torres presents a helpful guide to understanding the world through his playful interpretations of colors.
|
[03/11/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: MLB Opening Night: Yankees vs. Giants - Official Trailer - Netflix
The 2026 Major League Baseball season leads off on Netflix, with Yankees vs. Giants in a star-studded opener live at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
|
[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Date & Cast Announcement: Hulu's "Love Overboard"
Produced by Alex Cooper's Unwell Productions and Jeff Jenkins Productions, "Love Overboard" premieres Thursday, March 26 with all nine episodes on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
|
[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Nikki Glaser Returns to Host "The 84th Annual Golden Globes" Airing Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027 on CBS and Paramount+
Glaser said, "I'm thrilled to host the Golden Globes for a third time, not only because it's the greatest gig I've ever had, but because my sister has three kids and now we will be equal in the eyes of my parents and the Lord."
|
[03/11/26 - 07:04 AM]
"#SKYKING," the Gripping New Documentary Set to Make Its World Premiere at SXSW 2026, Premieres on Hulu April 14
The feature-length documentary tells the story of Richard "Beebo" Russell, who captured the world's attention when he stole a commercial plane and took off on a flight that would come to embody the dreams and despair of the American working class, while offering a look at the US mental health crisis.
|
[03/11/26 - 07:02 AM]
New Episodes of "Rick and Morty" Premiere May 24 on Adult Swim
Get ready to portal-jump back into the multiverse - Adult Swim's #1 series returns with a season that's bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than ever.
|
[03/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Friday Night Baseball" Returns to Apple TV on March 27 for Its Fifth Season
Highlights include the storied New York Subway Series matchup between the Yankees and Mets, plus multiple appearances by reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
|
[03/11/26 - 06:47 AM]
Matt Vasgersian Joins NBC Sports as a Play-by-Play Voice for "MLB Sunday Leadoff" on Peacock and NBCSN
Vasgersian, who spent the last five years as a Los Angeles Angels TV play-by-play voice, will continue his role at MLB Network, a position he has held since its inception in 2009.
|
[03/11/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: "The Hawk" - Lonnie Hawkins Character Reveal - Netflix
One of the greatest names in golf history (that you're somehow only just hearing about), American hero Lonnie "The Hawk" Hawkins is Will Ferrell's newest original character.
|
|
|
|
