[04/28/08 - 05:52 PM] Development Update: Monday, April 28 By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)
LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:
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SIT DOWN, SHUT UP (FOX) - "The Simpsons" alums Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein have been tapped as the showrunners of the potential animated series, about the lives of seven staff members at a dysfunctional high school in a small northeastern fishing town. Said hiring would seem to indicate the project is moving forward following a table read earlier this month. They'll serve as executive producers alongside Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum. The latter trio's Tantamount is co-producing alongside Granada USA, Sony Pictures Television and the recently added 20th Century Fox Television. Hurwitz penned the pilot script while Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Henry Winkler, Cheri Oteri, Will Forte, Regina King, Tom Kenny, Nick Kroll and Maria Bamford are among the show's voice cast. Meanwhile, animator and children's book author Mo Willems (Cartoon Network's "Sheep in the Big City") is set to handle the animation on the show. In addition to their services, Sony has given Oakley and Weinstein a blind script commitment for future development at the studio.
UNTITLED ED YEAGER PROJECT (CBS) - Jay Mohr, Paula Marshall, Jaime King, Ryan Malgarini and Laura Marano have all been cast in the multi-camera comedy pilot, about an easygoing, recently divorced dad (Mohr) who tries to navigate new waters with his ex-wife (Marshall), to whom he was married for 15 years, his kids (Malgarini, Marano) and his new girlfriend (King). CBS Paramount Network Television has also come aboard as a co-producer of the ABC Studios-based project. Said attachment means Mohr's casting is actually in first position to his duties on "Ghost Whisperer" however there is potential for him to continue on said hour on a limited basis. Ed Yeager penned the pilot script and is executive producing alongside Ric Swartzlander.
