 |
 |
[09/26/08 - 06:24 PM]
Development Update: Friday, September 26
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!
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
|
|
|
 [september 2008]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[09/16/26 - 01:01 PM]
"Saturday Night Live" Adds Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter as Featured Players to the Cast for the Upcoming 52nd Season
"SNL" returns September 26 at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT, live on NBC and Peacock with host Jalen Brunson and musical guest KATSEYE.
|
[09/16/26 - 12:50 PM]
CBS Presents "The Amazing Race: 25 Years Around the World," An "Entertainment Tonight" Special, Tuesday, Sept. 29
The one-hour special celebrates 25 years of "The Amazing Race" with memorable moments from the ET Vault, never-before-seen footage and new interviews.
|
[09/16/26 - 12:46 PM]
Madonna to Open the "2026 Video Music Awards (VMAs)" with Her First "VMAs" Performance in 23 Years, Airing Sunday, Sept. 27 on CBS
Madonna last performed at the "VMAs" more than two decades ago, when Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera joined her for their now-iconic 2003 opening performance.
|
[09/16/26 - 12:20 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of September 7
"Reacher," "The Grand Tour," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," and "LOL Next" led all original series worldwide.
|
[09/16/26 - 12:17 PM]
Jefferson White Joins Season Two of CBS' Hit Series "Marshals" in a Recurring Role as Jimmy Hurdstrom
White will reprise his role as fan-favorite Jimmy Hurdstrom, a good-hearted yet rough-around-the-edges ranch hand who evolved from a troubled criminal into a resilient, proud cowboy.
|
[09/16/26 - 12:08 PM]
Brendan Morgan, David Tomlinson, Gerry Dee, Michelle Mylett, Lauren Chan, and Nick Stahl Join the Cast of "Heated Rivalry" Season 2
Draft picks: confirmed.
|
[09/16/26 - 11:34 AM]
Investigation Discovery Chronicles the Unique Bond Between a Survivor and a Serial Killer's Ex-Wife in "The Serial Killer Connection"
Rolling out over three weeks, the three-part docuseries airs Wednesdays at 9:00/8:00c on ID beginning on October 7.
|
[09/16/26 - 11:01 AM]
HBO Max Orders New Drama Series "How to Survive Without Me"
The drama, from Berlanti Productions, stars series regulars Ray Romano, Kaley Cuoco, and Joshua Jackson.
|
[09/16/26 - 11:01 AM]
On the Heels of Seven Primetime Emmy Award Wins, Peacock Announces Three Additional Seasons of "The Traitors," Produced by Studio Lambert with Alan Cumming Returning as Host
Peacock concluded its most recent season of "The Traitors" with its biggest ratings to-date, as viewership surged +72% over the prior season.
|
[09/16/26 - 11:01 AM]
Video: Love Is Hell. Growth Is Worse in Prime Video's Official Trailer for Season Three of "Helluva Boss"
The first part of the third season consists of seven episodes, with three episodes premiering on October 14, followed by two episodes weekly through October 28.
|
[09/16/26 - 10:08 AM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - October 2026
"Coven Academy," "VisionQuest," and "Phony" are among the featured premieres.
|
[09/16/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu Original Documentary "The Swan: Behind the Mirror"
The film premieres on September 29 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
|
[09/16/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Kate Berlant: Parmesan" Debuts October 16
Seamlessly weaving through personal stories and stream-of-consciousness epiphanies, Kate offers up razor-sharp reflections on everything from the moon, to her destructive relationship to technology, to the evolving nature of sexuality.
|
[09/16/26 - 09:50 AM]
Video: They're Back on Call! "Scrubs" Debuts Its Season 2 Trailer
The two-episode premiere of the "Scrubs" revival airs Wednesday, September 30, at 8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
|
[09/16/26 - 09:41 AM]
Breaking the Deadlock "AI: Who's in Control?" - Broadcast and Streaming Premiere October 27 on PBS
In this new episode, eight panelists face a series of challenging dilemmas.
|
|
|
|
