 |
 |
[04/25/08 - 06:16 PM]
Development Update: Friday, April 25
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!
CASTLE (ABC) - Nathan Fillion ("Desperate Housewives") is in negotiations to topline the drama pilot, about a famous mystery novelist helping the NYPD solve crimes. Fillion would play the title character, Nick Castle. Rob Bowman is directing the ABC Studios-based project from a script by Andrew Marlowe.
CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS) - A&E and ION Media Networks have each acquired the off-network rights to the veteran CBS drama. The former, whose license fee is estimated to in the $650,000-$700,000 per episode range, will begin airing weekly repeats of the series starting next month with a five-night-a-week expansion in the fall of 2009. ION, who is said to have forked over $175,000 per episode, will likewise begin its strip of the series in the fall of 2009. The pact with co-producers ABC Studios and CBS Paramount Network Television is capped at eight seasons. In terms of comparable off-network sales, the combined $825,000-$875,000 per episode fee falls behind recent acquisitions such as "Cold Case" (TNT, $1.4 million), "Without a Trace" (TNT, $1.4 million) and "CSI: NY" (Spike TV, $1.9 million) but ahead of "Bones" (TNT, $450,000).
LAW & ORDER (NBC) - Tom Everett Scott ("Cashmere Mafia") is set to appear in the show's final two episodes this season. He'll play Governer Shalvoy in said installments, one of which will also feature Alison Elliott ("The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford") as his wife, Rita. No other details about their roles were given.
LITTLE GIRL LOST: THE DELIMAR VERA STORY (LMN, New!) - Judy Reyes ("Scrubs"), Ana Ortiz ("Ugly Betty") and A Martinez ("General Hospital") have all signed on to star in a new original for the Lifetime sibling. The project, due later this year, is based on the true story of Luz Cuevas (Reyes), who believed that her infant daughter, Delimar, had perished in a fire in their Philadelphia apartment, only to spot her at a birthday part six years later. Ortiz will play Valerie Valleja, a distant relative of Luz's, while Martinez is as Angel Cruz, a councilman who helps Luz. Paul Kaufman, Joey Plager, Larry Thompson and Harvey Kahn of Front Street Productions are executive producing the project, which Kaufman is directing. Lifetime is co-producing in association with TF1.
THE MEANT TO BE'S (CBS) - Tom Hollander ("Pirates of the Caribbean") has joined the cast of the pilot, a romantic drama about a young woman (Amy Smart) who dies, but in order to "pass over," she must return to Earth and help people improve their lives. He'll play the head of the Fate division who is bending the rules to save lives. Ioan Gruffudd also stars in the project, which comes from CBS Paramount Network Television and creator Glenn Gordon Caron.
MY BROTHER'S HOT (AND OTHER DILEMMAS) (A.K.A. UNTITLED KRISTIN NEWMAN PROJECT) (ABC) - Alyssa Milano ("My Name Is Earl") is in talks to play the lead role in the comedy pilot, about a thirtysomething woman (Milano) who tries to break free of her overbearing and dysfunctional family, friends and boss. Her character, Louisa "Lou," is further detailed in the casting notice as follows: "Early 30s, Female, a bit rumpled and girl-next-door pretty, intelligent, with a sense of humor, selfless. Lou has never gotten married or even managed much of a life of her own because she's always been caught up in the lives of her parents: her larger-than-life, selfish, charming mother, Elizabeth, and her irresponsible father, Joe, both of whom got divorced when she was 12. Something of a mother figure to Joe's young children by his second wife, Lou works at a literacy program funded by a famous playboy athlete, and is pretty much put herself in call to the catastrophes/demands of both her parents. Urged by her best friend Sasha to get some "me" time and go out of town to hook up with The Nice Chicago Guy, Lou finds her plans put off - again - when her dad drops his latest bomb: he's marrying again, his kids are in rebellion, his new fiance has a hunky 35 year old son who's perfect for Lou, and worst of all--her mother chooses this moment to decide to devote the rest of her life to her relationship to Lou." The single-camera half-hour comes from creator Kristin Newman and co-producers ABC Studios and DreamWorks Television.
THE PRINCE OF MOTOR CITY (ABC) - Aunjanue Ellis ("Justice") is the first to be cast in the drama pilot, a gothic family soap inspired by William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" set in the world of the Detroit auto industry. She'll play Cora Neel in the ABC Studios-based project, which comes from co-creators Hamish Linklater and Jessica Goldberg. Her character is detailed in the casting notice as follows: "40s-50s, African-American, "Diana Ross sexy and Condi Rice ruthless," she's a member of Hamilton's board who is absolutely appalled by the information that Billy is the new owner of Hamilton Motors. She believes the best idea is to sell the entire company to a German manufacturer. She and Paul Riley have a tense relationship, and no one except Cora knows why William Hamilton appointed Cora to the board in the first place."
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [april 2008]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[10/24/25 - 02:30 PM]
Video: First Look at Upcoming New Drama "Memory of a Killer" Starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli - Premiering This January on FOX
Dempsey stars as a hitman, Angelo Doyle, leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret - he has developed early onset Alzheimer's.
|
[10/24/25 - 02:02 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's Most-Watched Newsmagazine Across the Board
In addition, "20/20" posted its best Adults 25-54 in more than four months.
|
[10/24/25 - 02:01 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board, Leading NBC in All Key Demos for the 4th Straight Week
"Nightline" grew year to year across the board: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.
|
[10/24/25 - 01:05 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Makes Television History - Rising for Fifth Straight Week
The October 21 episode scored 6.63 million Total Viewers and a 1.38 rating among Adults 18-49, hitting new season highs in both demographics.
|
[10/24/25 - 08:01 AM]
Netflix Announces "Hollywood Arts," A Brand-New Spinoff of Hit Live-Action, "Victorious," with Daniella Monet Returning as Star and Executive Producer
The series is set to debut on Netflix in 2026, followed by releases on Nickelodeon and Paramount+.
|
[10/24/25 - 07:14 AM]
FOX Sports Readies for Major League Baseball's 121st World Series Presented by Capital One
Action leads off Friday, October 24, between the National League and current reigning World champion Los Angeles Dodgers and American League champion Toronto Blue Jays from Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App and FOX One.
|
[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind" Season 9: The Reunion - Official Trailer - Netflix
Denver singles shake up their search for "the one" and step into the pods, braving twists, turns and love triangles to find their soulmate sight unseen.
|
[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Experience the Family, the Fun, and the Fantastic! Marvel Studios' "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" Lands Exclusively on Disney+ November 5
Continuing the celebration of Marvel's First Family, the announcement was made live from SpaceCon 2025 in San Antonio, where The Fantastic Four: First Steps Immersive Pop-Up Experience invites attendees to step inside the iconic Baxter Building.
|
[10/24/25 - 06:00 AM]
The CW Network and Xfinity Celebrate 11 Years of the NASCAR Xfinity Series by Presenting the Third Stage of the Championship Race Commercial-Free
Taking place in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, November 1, the commercial-free stage presented by Xfinity was created to thank the loyal race fans who have supported the NASCAR Xfinity Series for more than a decade - helping the series grow through their unwavering enthusiasm, increased viewership, and continued trackside attendance.
|
[10/23/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "As You Stood By" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When two women plot to end an abusive marriage through murder, an unexpected visitor arrives - threatening to shatter everything they've carefully planned.
|
[10/23/25 - 02:33 PM]
Largest Audience for "NBA Tip-Off" Doubleheader Since 2010 as NBA Returned to NBC and Debuted on Peacock
Tuesday night's audience across NBC and Peacock peaked at 7.1 million viewers from 10:45-11 p.m. ET as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to a one-point win over the Houston Rockets in double overtime.
|
[10/23/25 - 02:28 PM]
The 305 Just Got Hotter: "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" Moves to BET Season 7 Premieres Tuesday, November 4 at 8 PM ET/PT
The upcoming seventh season dives deeper than ever into Miami's thriving entertainment scene, following a cast of stars who are rebuilding, rebranding, and redefining success in real time.
|
[10/23/25 - 01:30 PM]
Critically Acclaimed Noir Thriller, "Dark Winds," to Return to AMC and AMC+ Sunday, February 15
The series' gripping fourth season focuses on the search for a missing Navajo girl, which takes Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito from the safety of Navajo Nation to the gritty terrain of 1970s Los Angeles in a race against the clock to save her from an obsessive killer with ties to organized crime.
|
[10/23/25 - 12:01 PM]
Video: BET+ Releases Trailer for Horror Film "A Demon's Revenge"
In the film, following the bloodshed in Belize, Peaches, played by Jhoné Lucas, delves deeper into Caribbean folklore and the terrifying truth that lurks beneath.
|
[10/23/25 - 12:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Acquires Equity Stake in Chain, Forging Strategic Partnership with Experiential Food Phenomenon Co-Founded by B.J. Novak
Included in the investment is a first look development deal through Chain Media.
|
|
|
|
