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[04/01/08 - 10:03 AM]
Development Update: Tuesday, April 1
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) |
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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
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[04/09/25 - 05:47 PM]
AMC Networks Greenlights "Gold Rush" (wt), A Sports Docuseries from AMC Studios, Skydance Sports, NFL Films and Religion of Sports on the San Francisco 49ers' Iconic Teams of the '80s and Early '90s
The four-episode series will explore the dramatic and iconic run of the San Francisco 49ers' during the '80s and early '90s, when the club rose from an also-ran into pro football's most glamorous franchise.
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[04/09/25 - 05:38 PM]
AMC Networks Renews "Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches" for a Third Season of Magic, Mystery and Mythology
Emmy Award-winning producer and writer Thomas Schnauz joins as co-showrunner with Esta Spalding on season three.
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[04/09/25 - 11:31 AM]
ESPN Wraps Up Successful 2024-25 Women's College Basketball Campaign
The national title bout between No. 2 UConn and No. 1 South Carolina scored 8.6 million viewers, the third most-viewed women's college basketball championship game on ESPN platforms and up 76% from the last time the teams played for the title in 2022.
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[04/09/25 - 11:24 AM]
ESPN NBA Schedule Update: Two Matchups Added for Final Day of Regular Season on April 13
In the first half of the doubleheader, the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo host the Detroit Pistons and Cade Cunningham at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN Presented by State Farm.
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[04/09/25 - 11:00 AM]
Jennifer Lopez to Host the "2025 American Music Awards"
This marks Lopez's second time hosting the iconic awards ceremony, a role she first took on in 2015 when she captivated audiences with her unmatched energy and breathtaking opening medley.
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[04/09/25 - 10:36 AM]
2025 WNBA Draft Presented by State Farm Takes Center Stage on ESPN, Monday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. ET
Ryan Ruocco will return as the host on site, joined by analysts Rebecca Lobo and Andraya Carter and reporter Holly Rowe.
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[04/09/25 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life" Debuts April 26
Emmy-winning actor, writer, and comedian Brett Goldstein brings his irresistible charm and quick wit stateside for his first HBO stand-up special.
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[04/09/25 - 09:01 AM]
"The Waterfront" - Date Announcement & First Look Debut
Inspired by true events and set against the backdrop of coastal North Carolina, the Netflix series comes from prolific showrunner Kevin Williamson.
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[04/09/25 - 09:00 AM]
HBO Renews "The Last of Us" for a Third Season
The seven-episode second season debuts this Sunday, April 13 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
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[04/09/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Nonnas" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After the loss of his mother, Joe Scaravella (played by Vince Vaughn) risks everything to honor her by opening an Italian restaurant with a group of local grandmothers as the chefs.
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[04/09/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Debuts Trailer for "Murderbot," Premiering May 16
The 10-episode series will premiere globally on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on Friday, May 16, followed by new episodes every Friday through July 11.
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[04/09/25 - 07:06 AM]
Video: "Culpa Nuestra (Our Fault)" - Official Teaser - Prime Video
Jenna and Lion's wedding leads to the long-awaited reunion between Noah and Nick years after their breakup.
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[04/09/25 - 06:00 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Unveils Trailer for "Long Way Home" with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman
Starring and executive produced by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, this 10-episode journey rekindles the duo's famed road-tripping spirit, bringing them a little closer to home this time.
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[04/09/25 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "Last Bullet" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Car genius Lino returns to conclude his vendetta against Areski and the corrupt commander who ruined their lives in this turbo-charged trilogy finale.
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[04/08/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "The Devil's Plan: Death Room" - Official Teaser - Netflix
The brain-teasing reality competition series is coming May 6, only on Netflix.
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