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[09/26/08 - 06:24 PM]
Development Update: Friday, September 26
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!
BUNKER HILL (A.K.A. MORSE CODE) (TNT) - The Donnie Wahlberg-led drama has been given a pilot commitment by the network. Wahlberg plays Mike Moriarty in the project, "a crime drama about a young war hero/Drug Enforcement Administration officer who works in his hometown of Boston." Walon Green and Jon Avnet are behind the Warner Horizon Television-based hour, which Avnet is directing from a script by Green. Wahlberg himself is also executive producing.
LIFE ON MARS (ABC) - Director Gary Fleder, who most recently helmed the pilots to ABC's "Finnegan" and "Life on Mars," has reupped his overall deal with sibling ABC Studios. Under the pact, he's developing an untitled hour with "Jericho" co-creator Jonathan Steinberg about a 25-year-old who becomes a senator. He'll executive produce the project via his Mojo Films banner alongside the company's development chief Mary Beth Basile. Earlier this week, Fleder signed on to direct The CW pilot "Light Years" from creator Liz Tigelaar.
THE NEW MCTOMS (FOX, New!) - Boyce Bugliari and Jamie McLaughlin (The CW's "Dash 4 Cash") are developing a new hybrid multi- and single-camera half-hour about a conservative matriarch who must face the reality of her three children marrying ethnically diverse spouses. The project is set up at Salma Hayek and Jose Tamez's ABC Studios-based Ventanarosa banner. Bugliari, McLaughlin, Hayek and Tamez then are executive producing the comedy, which has a script commitment from the network.
PROJECT RUNWAY (Bravo/Lifetime) - In a surprise move to all parties involved, a New York judge has granted a preliminary injunction on the Weinstein Co., temporarily barring the show's move from Bravo to Lifetime or marketing any such move. Said decision could derail the show's sixth season launch in January on Lifetime. Production nevertheless is continuing in Los Angeles. Lifetime inked a blockbuster five-year, $150 million deal with the Weinstein Co. back in April to acquire the series (read the story), which included 10 additional cycles of "Runway" (two 14-episode seasons per year) as well as spin-offs "The Models of Project Runway" and "Project Pygmalion" (14 episodes each) not to mention the broadcast rights to 70 Weinstein movies. NBC Universal subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Weinstein Co. claiming it didn't give NBC Universal-sibling Bravo proper notification that another party had made an offer for "Runway." The claim stems from a January 2007 agreement which reportedly gave Bravo the right of first refusal for any outside bid. In any case, Judge Richard Lowe III has ordered NBC Universal to post a minimum $20 million bond as part of the trial proceedings. A timetable on how the case will proceed is expected to be set in the next month.
TRUE BLOOD (HBO) - Mehcad Brooks, Todd Lowe, Deborah Ann Woll and Michelle Forbes have been named series regulars on the show's recently ordered second season. All four actors currently recur on the inaugural season - Brooks as Benedict "Eggs" Talley, a mellow, guitar-strumming refugee from a hard life; Lowe as Terry Bellefleur; Woll as Jessica; and Forbes as Maryann.
UNTITLED DAVID GUARASCIO/MOSES PORT PROJECT (FOX, New!) - "Aliens in America" alums Moses Port and David Guarascio have booked a new single-camera comedy at the network about a twentysomething man who starts taking a mood enhancer called Blisstilan and, after snapping out of his funk, takes a job at the pharmaceutical company behind the product. The man must now navigate working for his new boss, a high-powered female executive who boasts the nickname "The Velvet Hammer." No studio was listed as being attached. Port and Guarascio will pen the pilot and executive produce.
UNTITLED DOUG JUNG PROJECT (TNT, New!) - The cable channel is in final negotiations with Jerry Bruckheimer for a new drama pilot from creator Doug Jung ("Big Love") based on an original idea by Danny Cannon. The untitled hour, which Cannon will direct from a script by Jung, is described as a "character-based police drama that follows a squad of young undercover LAPD officers as they walk the line between doing their job and being seduced into the easy money and corruption of the crime world." Cannon, Jung and Bruckheimer then will executive produce alongside Jonathan Littman for Warner Horizon Television.
THE WONDERFUL MALADYS (HBO, New!) - Sarah Michelle Gellar ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") is set to topline and executive produce a potential new comedy at the pay channel about the dysfunctional lives of three adult siblings in New York who lost their parents at a young age. Feature writer Charles Randolph ("The Interpreter") is behind the half-hour, which he penned on spec last year. Gellar's character then is detailed as having "a kind of zealous immaturity - like a drug addict with a to-do list." It's understood HBO is fast-tracking the project to begin production early next year. Gellar and Randolph are executive producing alongside Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[08/26/26 - 01:56 PM]
Video: "The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth" - See It First Only in IMAX November 25
Starring Brad Pitt. Written by Quentin Tarantino. Directed by David Fincher.
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[08/26/26 - 01:43 PM]
Offseason Edition of the HBO and NFL Films Series "Hard Knocks" Set to Return in 2027
The series begins filming at the end of the 2026 NFL season and will debut in 2027 on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max.
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[08/26/26 - 01:12 PM]
Home Is Where the Heart Is: Inside Netflix's Wave of Comfort Storytelling
Plus: "Guarding Stars," starring Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki, will premiere globally on Netflix November 18 - just in time for the holidays.
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[08/26/26 - 01:00 PM]
Peacock Renews "Love Island USA" for Season Nine with Emmy-Nominated Host Ariana Madix Set to Return
Plus: Co-hosted by Ariana Madix and Andy Cohen, the highly anticipated "Love Island USA" season eight reunion special premieres Monday, August 31 at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET.
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[08/26/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 17
"Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Ride or Die," "Off Campus," and "The Traitors" led all original series worldwide.
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[08/26/26 - 10:45 AM]
"Survivor" Reveals the 21 New Castaways Competing on the 51st Edition - The First in the Series' New "Open Era" - With a Two-Hour Season Premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 23
The groundbreaking reality series, which shifts to 90-minute weekly episodes beginning Wednesday, September 30 at 8:00 PM, returns with an all-new expanded class of dynamic and determined competitors.
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[08/26/26 - 10:18 AM]
BET Brings Chris "CP" Powell's Acclaimed Comedy Special "Sunday After Six" to Screens September 1
Host of the revived "ComicView: Rooftop Series," Chris "CP" Powell brings his 90-minute stand-up special to the screen, centered on relatable life experiences and everyday scenarios as a Black man.
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[08/26/26 - 10:05 AM]
TNT Sports Unveils Blockbuster 72-Game NHL on TNT Schedule for 2026-27 NHL Regular Season, Starting Wednesday, Sept. 30
The season will culminate with TNT Sports' presentation of the 2027 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including the 2027 Stanley Cup Final exclusively on TNT Sports platforms.
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[08/26/26 - 10:03 AM]
Sarah Pidgeon Joins Aaron Taylor-Johnson in "Enigma Variations"
The limited series, adapted from the bestselling novel by André Aciman, is an intimate yet sweeping portrait of masculinity, sexuality, and modern love.
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[08/26/26 - 10:03 AM]
ESPN Announces 100 Exclusive National Hockey League Games for 2026-27 Season
Of the 100 exclusive games, 53 matchups will be available on ESPN and ABC, while the remaining 47 matchups can be streamed on ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu.
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[08/26/26 - 10:01 AM]
What's New on HBO Max This September
Highlights include Sharon Horgan's comedy "Youth" on September 20 and "4 Blocks" prequel series "4 Blocks Zero" on September 25.
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[08/26/26 - 09:48 AM]
"Dolly: An NBC News Special" to Air Tonight at 9 P.M. ET
Anchored by Lester Holt, "Dolly: An NBC News Special" will look back at Parton's remarkable journey to stardom, her groundbreaking career and her lasting impact far beyond music.
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[08/26/26 - 09:14 AM]
The 41st Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Hosted by Kirk Franklin, Airs Sunday, August 30, on BET
Taped in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Spectrum Center under this year's theme, "Feels Like Home," the ceremony brings together gospel's most celebrated artists, trailblazers, and rising stars for a night of worship, inspiration, and world-class performances.
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[08/26/26 - 09:05 AM]
ESPN Premieres "Shooting Stars" and "13.4 Seconds to Nowhere" Aug. 27
The films were developed through a collaboration between ESPN, ESPN Deportes and Tribeca Studios to bring to life compelling stories at the intersection of sports and the Latino community.
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[08/26/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Date, Key Art & Trailer Debut - Hulu's "The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives" Season Five
Season five premieres with all five episodes on Thursday, September 10 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
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