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[08/07/08 - 07:01 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, August 7
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!
ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? (FOX) - The network has ordered nine additional episodes of the series, bringing its third season total to 22 hours. Mark Burnett Productions and Zoo Productions are behind the project, which shifts to Friday nights starting September 5. Jeff Foxworthy hosts.
THE CONVERSATION (AMC) - Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 feature is once again being eyed for the small screen, this time at AMC. Christopher McQuarrie ("The Usual Suspects") and Erik Jendresen ("Band of Brothers") are penning the latest adaptation, following their previous pass for ABC/ABC Studios in 2006. Tony Krantz and Coppola are also returning via their respective companies Flame Ventures and American Zoetrope for Sony Pictures Television. McQuarrie, Jendresen and Heather McQuarrie then will executive produce alongside Krantz. As for specifics, the new incarnation will center on electronic surveillance expert Harry Caul (played by Gene Hackman in the film) as he works as an eavesdropper with a larger, ongoing storyline about who's monitoring him as he hears conversations he shouldn't be privy to. The AMC version will also bet set in the 1970s, unlike the ABC version which was set in present day. Prior to ABC, Krantz sold a version to NBC in 1995 as an agent, with Ron Bass writing and Kyle MacLachlan attached to star.
DROP DEAD DIVA (Lifetime) - Golden Brooks ("Girlfriends") and April Bowlby ("Two and a Half Men") are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about Deb, a dead aspiring actress-model who is reincarnated in the body of Jane (Brooke Elliott), a chubby, brilliant attorney. Brooks is set as Kim Kastle, who's detailed via the casting notice as: "Late 20s-Mid 30s, all ethnicities, in a Michael Kors suit, with a blue Hermes bag. Kim is a partner at the same law firm as Jane. Confident, savvy, manipulative and rather bitchy, she is not as smart as Jane, or as well liked by the clients, but she does know how to play the office politics game. For Kim, "everything's a competition. Every woman, a threat. Every man, a conquest"." And Bowlby then is playing Stacy Punt: "Early 20s, all ethnicities, "Sports Illustrated swimsuit sexy," a vapid but sweet young woman. She is Deb's best friend. Shallow, but with a gushy, fun personality, she is offended when Deb suggests she get a job and tells her, "I'm a model." Later, Stacy is the only person in whom Jane (Deb) confides about her rather unusual situation." Jackson Hurst and Margaret Cho also star in the Sony Pictures Television-based hour, which James Hayman is helming from a script by Josh Berman.
THE INFORMANT (FOX, New!) - Tom Szentgyorgyi ("Journeyman") is developing a domestic take on the Australian series of the same name, about Richard Button, a regular middle-class suburban dad who works as a police informant for an elite federal investigative agency. Greg Haddrick was behind the original version. 20th Century Fox Television and Alchemy Entertainment are co-producing.
LOVELAND (FOX, New!) - The network is reportedly close to importing the upcoming U.K. dating series, in which participants select their dates based on interactions with computer-generated versions of potential suitors. Jo Pine created the format, which comes from Tom Gutteridge's Standing Stone Productions. Antwerp animation house Nazooka is behind the technology used in the show, which is set to roll out on Sky One later this season, as is a web-based version of the format.
SHAWN RYAN PROJECTS (Various, New!) - "The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan has set up three new projects around town - "The Lead Sheet" at A&E, "Millionaires Club" at FOX and an untitled hour at FX. That's in addition to "Confessions of a Contractor" at CBS, which was announced earlier this week. All four stem from his overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. "Sheet," created by author James Ellroy, chronicles the hunt for the infamous Hillside Strangler - a prolific serial killer who tortured, raped and killed young women in 1977-78 in the hills above Los Angeles. The series then follows three police officers and two DAs as they investigate the killer, with each episode of the crime procedural starting with a tip leading to a violent crime that may or may not be related to the Strangler. Ellroy is penning the hour and executive producing alongside his manager Joel Gotler. As for "Club," the single-camera comedy revolves around a ragtag group of wannabe millionaires who keep coming up with ill-fated plots to get rich. "Semi-Pro" helmer Kent Alterman attached to direct the half-hour from a script by Ryan. And finally, Ryan is teaming with "Ocean's Eleven" writer Ted Griffin for the FX project, which is billed as a comedic drama about a private eye. Ryan is executive producing each via his MiddKid Productions banner with 20th producing the broadcast projects and Fox 21 shepherding the cable projects.
TREME (HBO) - Khandi Alexander ("CSI: Miami") and "The Wire" alums Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters are the first to be cast in the drama pilot, a post-Katrina-themed drama which chronicles the rebuilding of New Orleans through the eyes of local musicians. David Simon and Eric Overmyer are behind the hour, which is also executive produced by Nina Noble for Simon's Blown Deadline Productions. As for specifics, Pierce will play Antoine Batiste, "an accomplished jazz trombonist who is now scratching for gigs, trying to support a live-in girlfriend and a new baby, while still carrying a torch for a failed marriage to Ladonna Batiste (Alexander), the mother of his two children, who is single-handedly keeping her bar afloat," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Peters then is set as Albert Lambreaux, a big chief of the White Feather Nation trying to bring the tribe's members home.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[09/18/19 - 01:28 PM]
At $1.5 Trillion and Growing, America's Mounting Student Debt Crisis Takes Centerstage in New Crackle Original "Going from Broke" Launching Thursday, October 17
Leading the charge to support millennials in overcoming their crippling financial struggles is host Dan Rosensweig, Chegg CEO, and financial expert Danetha Doe.
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[09/18/19 - 12:14 PM]
FOX Sports Announces WWE Programming Ahead of "Friday Night Smackdown" Debut
FOX Sports presents a slate of special programming, pre-event coverage and cross-platform integrations in anticipation of the marquee event.
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[09/18/19 - 11:40 AM]
Beth Stern and James Denton Return to Host the 9th Annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards(R)
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[09/18/19 - 11:01 AM]
HBO Sports' Emmy-Winning Franchise "24/7" Returns for "24/7 College Football," Featuring Four Undefeated Teams in the AP Top 25: Florida, Penn State, Arizona State and Washington State; Debuts October 2, Exclusively on HBO
Florida, Penn State, Arizona State and Washington State are among the featured programs.
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[09/18/19 - 10:03 AM]
Netflix Inks First-Look Feature Film Deal with "Always Be My Maybe" Director Nahnatchka Khan
The film premiered on Netflix in May and was seen by 32 million households in its first four weeks and was loved by critics and audiences alike.
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[09/18/19 - 10:01 AM]
John Cena to Guest Star in Nickelodeon's "The Substitute," Premiering on Friday, Oct. 4, at 7:00 P.M. (ET/PT)
Using a full costume and prosthetics to hide his identity, Cena is transformed into three completely unrecognizable camp counselors.
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[09/18/19 - 10:01 AM]
"Buzz," A Documentary Following Pulitzer Prize-Winning Reporter and Author, Buzz Bissinger, Debuts September 25, Exclusively on HBO
The film directed by Bissinger's childhood friend, Andrew Shea, and executive produced by his cousin, Peter Berg, and Matthew Goldberg.
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[09/18/19 - 09:30 AM]
Disney Junior Orders Third Season of Emmy(R) Award-Nominated Series "Fancy Nancy" Ahead of Its Season Two Premiere on Friday, Oct. 4
Based on the New York Times bestselling books by Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser, the series was Cable's #1 series with Girls 2-5 and Girls 2-8 in its first year.
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[09/18/19 - 09:02 AM]
Ina Garten Is Back with Brand-New Recipes and Tips in "Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro" on Sunday, October 27th at 12PM ET/PT
"I'll show everyone how to go to a grocery store, buy perfectly good ingredients, and make delicious, easy dishes that will delight everyone at their table," said Ina.
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[09/18/19 - 09:01 AM]
Emmy-Winning Writer And Producer Donick Cary Signs First-Look Animation Producing Deal with Comedy Central Productions
As part of his deal, Cary will develop his own ideas, and work with other talent and creators to identify and develop animated properties for Comedy Central and other platforms.
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[09/18/19 - 08:40 AM]
"The Boondocks" to Return on HBO Max
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[09/18/19 - 08:13 AM]
Tuesday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC, NBC Share Adults 18-49 Honors
"America's Got Talent" is the top draw last night among total viewers and adults 18-49.
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[09/17/19 - 08:01 PM]
The New Bachelor Revealed on Tonight's "Bachelor in Paradise" Season Finale
The 24th season of ABC's hit romance reality series "The Bachelor" premieres in January 2020.
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[09/17/19 - 07:16 PM]
The Incomparable Mariah Carey Debuts "mixed-ish" Theme Song, "In The Mix," at ABC's "Embrace Your Ish" Premiere Event
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[09/17/19 - 03:06 PM]
Amazon Studios Announces New Zealand as Location for Its Upcoming Series Based on "The Lord of the Rings"
Pre-production has started, and production on the series will begin in Auckland in the coming months.
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