or


[06/16/08 - 05:21 PM]
Development Update: Monday, June 16
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!


CAPTAIN COOK'S EXTRAORDINARY ATLAS (ABC) - Janel Moloney ("Brotherhood"), Patrick Breen ("Eli Stone"), Nathan Gamble ("Runaway") and Jodelle Ferland ("Good Luck Chuck") have all scored lead roles on the drama pilot, about an adventurous young girl who finds a magical atlas that reveals a secret world underneath ours. Ferland will play the lead role of Gwen Malloy, who's detailed in the casting notice as follows: "11-14, must look and feel 12-13, Caucasian. This brave, adventurous, irrepressible and creative girl, a "Juno"-type with an independent spirit and a unique sense of style, has never fit in with her peers - probably because she collects tarantulas, arrowheads and sacrificial ritual knives - and sometimes feels alone in the world, even among her own family. When Gwen, her parents, and her little brother Finn move to a new town, she discovers she's been chosen by Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas, an ancient tome filled with mythical maps and instructions, to travel among and protect the magical lands that live beneath the regular world. Her new identity as a Navigator comes with extreme danger and adventure."

Moloney then is set as Marion Malloy - "Mid 30s-Early 40s, Caucasian, an attractive ex-cheerleader who is the polar opposite of her unconventional daughter, Gwen. Marion is extremely conscious of other people's opinions. She loves her kids but she's mortified when Gwen manages to attract the ire of the school principal and the town sheriff on the first day of school." - with Breen as Phinneas Sr. - "Mid 30s-Mid 40s, Caucasian, handsome, kind, intelligent and affable, as well as a bit absent-minded. He is Marion's husband and Gwen and Finn's father. An English professor, he encourages Gwen's unusual pursuits and encouragingly tells her, "Don't ever be afraid of what makes you different"." - and Gamble as "Finn" Phinneas Quayle Malloy Jr. - "8-10, Caucasian, a bit shy, with an extremely high I.Q. and an enriched vocabulary that would stump adults three times his age. He is nevertheless eager to fit in and blames Gwen when his attempts fail. Despite his preternatural intelligence, Finn is still a young boy with an attachment to his Foo-Foo blanket. When he discovers Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas in Gwen's room, he can't resist stealing it - and the consequences are terrifying." Thomas Schlamme and Tom Wheeler are the executive producers of the Warner Bros. Television-based project, which Schlamme is directing from a script by Wheeler.


DO NOT DISTURB (FOX) - Jason Bateman, fresh from directing the pilot to the upcoming comedy, has inked a first-look deal with producer 20th Century Fox Television. The pact gives the studio first crack at any of his company F+A Productions's projects in development.


UNTITLED MEHMET OZ PROJECT (Syndication) - Sony Pictures Television has been tapped to distribute and co-produce Oprah Winfrey's latest syndicated effort, which features her frequent guest Dr. Mehmet C. Oz. In addition, the company will also sell three and a half minutes within each hour to national advertisers. The project is being targeted for a fall 2009 launch.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [june 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· BROTHERHOOD (SHOWTIME)
· CAPTAIN COOK'S EXTRAORDINARY ATLAS (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DO NOT DISTURB (FOX)
· DR. OZ (SYNDICATION)
· ELI STONE (ABC)
· HUSTLE: THE PETE ROSE STORY (ESPN)
· RUNAWAY (CW)





[02/12/26 - 10:01 AM]
Date Announcement: "Dinosaur" Season 2
The charming Scottish series returns for season two on February 25 on Hulu.

[02/12/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "Taylor Tomlinson: Prodigal Daughter" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Taylor Tomlinson takes her fans to church with hilarious confessions about dating in her 30s, her dream assistant and why she refuses to use AI.

[02/12/26 - 09:31 AM]
New Preschool Series "Beddybyes" and "Magicampers" Set to Premiere on Disney+ and Disney Jr. in March 2026
They'll premiere on Monday, March 2 and Monday, March 23, respectively.

[02/12/26 - 09:02 AM]
Paramount+ Set to Premiere Men's College Basketball Documentary Series "Made for March" on Saturday, April 4
The series will feature unprecedented off-court access, exclusive game footage and interviews, and coverage of key regular season, conference and postseason matchups in the Big 12 and Big Ten.

[02/12/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "The Plastic Detox" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When six couples embark on a plastic detox within their homes, it changes their families forever.

[02/12/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Tribunal Justice" Season Three Premieres on Prime Video on March 2, 2026
Created and executive produced by judicial icon Judge Judy Sheindlin, "Tribunal Justice" will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video in the U.S., UK, and Germany with new episodes available every weekday.

[02/12/26 - 09:00 AM]
Peacock Releases Premiere Date and First Look Images for Upcoming Original Drama Series "M.I.A."
The crime drama series from Bill Dubuque and Karen Campbell will premiere on May 7, 2026.

[02/12/26 - 08:53 AM]
FOX Entertainment Names Sophie Leonard Executive Vice President, Unscripted at FOX Television Network
Leonard will lead the creative strategy, development, and production of FOX's unscripted portfolio, working closely with internal teams and creative partners to build bold, premium formats and large-scale franchises designed to resonate with broad audiences and travel globally.

[02/12/26 - 08:51 AM]
Global TV at Its Best - Viaplay U.S. Announces March Slate - Prestige Dramas from Ukraine, Sweden and Poland
Highlights include "The Stroke," a daring Polish prestige drama about a powerful cultural figure whose stroke dismantles his body, status, and emotional armor.

[02/12/26 - 08:45 AM]
"John and Carolyn - Love, Beauty and Loss" Premieres Tuesday, Feb. 17, on ABC and Streams Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu
The new, one-hour special examines how love, ambition and legacy collided under an unrelenting public spotlight throughout JFK Jr. and Carolyn's relationship and tragic deaths in the 1990s.

[02/12/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" - Season 8 - Official Trailer - Netflix
In Formula 1's 75th year, rookies surge forward and a title-winning team faces turmoil as a three-way contest for the world championship grips the grid.

[02/12/26 - 08:09 AM]
HBO and BBC Co-Production "First Day on Earth" Adds Thandiwe Newton, Maxine Peake, Danny Sapani, and Ncuti Gatwa to Cast
Filming is underway on the 10-episode series.

[02/12/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "The Singers" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In this Oscar-nominated short film, an impromptu singing contest at a dive bar turns a lonely night into a soul-baring moment of shared harmony.

[02/12/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: ALLBLK Unleashes Trailer for Explosive New Original Series "Wild Rose" Premiering Thursday, March 12
Omarion portrays "Roosevelt" aka "Rose," a charismatic hitman with a conscience who comes from a family of assassins... that also happen to run a non-profit organization.

[02/12/26 - 08:00 AM]
Video: "Spider-Noir," Starring Nicolas Cage, Swings into Action with Prime Video Official Teaser Trailer and Premiere Date
Produced by Sony Pictures Television exclusively for MGM+ and Prime Video, the hotly anticipated series will debut domestically on MGM+'s linear broadcast channel on May 25, then globally on Prime Video on May 27 as a binge release, in more than 240 countries and territories.