 |
 |
[10/01/08 - 06:08 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, October 1
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!
EVERYBODY HURTS (HBO, New!) - Iconic producer Norman Lear is developing a new drama at the pay channel about a family running a pro-wrestling business in 1970s New York, the lives of their wrestlers and their fans. Aaron Blitzstein ("The Riches") is penning the pilot script, which Lear will executive produce alongside Lara Bergthold via his Act III Productions banner. Blitzstein then will serve as a co-executive producer.
GLEE (FOX) - Cory Monteith ("Kaya") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about a Spanish teacher (Matthew Morrison) suddenly called upon to coach the glee club at the high school - one of the worst in the nation. He'll play Finn Hudson, who's detailed in the casting notice as follows: "18+ or emancipated to play high school. A handsome jock, who looks too kind to be hanging out with the rest of the slope-browed Neanderthals on the Harrison High football team, Finn in fact has an excellent singing voice, and a slumbering passion for classic 80s rock. A kid who has the collected works of Journey committed to memory, Finn is blackmailed by Will Schuester into joining the Glee Club, and in fact Finn finds music to be more fun than grunting and butting heads with other guys. Mercilessly mocked by his buddies for joining the Glee Club, Finn proves to have an acerbically accurate vision of the nature of high school society, and clearly regards it all as an exercise in futile time-wasting." Jayma Mays and Lea Michele also star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which comes from co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan.
THE GRAYSONS (The CW, New!) - "Smallville" executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson are set to team with "Supernatural" executive producer McG for a small screen take on the life of DC Comics hero Dick "DJ" Grayson before he takes on the iconic Robin identity and aligns himself with Batman. The netlet has given a put pilot commitment to the hour, which is set up at Warner Bros. Television and McG's Wonderland Sound and Vision banner. Souders, Peterson, McG and Wonderland's Peter Johnson then are the executive producers with Souders and Peterson penning the script. No specifics about the show's mythology however were given.
THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY (NBC, New!)/UNTITLED JEFF RAKE DRAMA PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Jeff Rake ("Cashmere Mafia") has booked a pair of projects at NBC and FOX. First up is a single-camera take on the classic 1970-74 sitcom "The Partridge Family." Reveille, Geffen Records and Sony Pictures Television are co-producing the half-hour, which will be reimagined to feature a struggling, sort of well-meaning mom pimping her kids in order to create a wholesome-slash-sexy cash cow. Over at FOX, Rake has an untitled hour inspired by the government's real-life Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The project then tracks "a Pentagon-based inventor who decided he couldn't live another day standing on the sidelines while Rome burns and accordingly set out put his inventions to very real use, behind the back of friends, family and the entire U.S. government." Mitch Hurwitz, Eric and Kim Tannenbaum's Sony Television-based Tantamount is behind the hour, which Anthony and Joe Russo are attached to direct. Both projects have a script commitment with a penalty attached should they not move forward.
THE TOWER (CBS) - "K-Ville" alum Cole Hauser has sealed a talent deal with CBS and its studio sibling CBS Paramount Network Television. The pact calls for the pair to develop a new series project for the actor, who starred in the recent CBS pilot "The Tower," or cast him in one of their existing projects in development.
UNTITLED VALERILE BERTINELLI PROJECT (TBS) - Nadia Dajani, Kevin G. Schmidt and Dean Collins are the latest additions to the comedy pilot, which stars Valerie Bertinelli as Claire Peterson, a newly separated woman who is raising two teens while running a lumber business. Dajani will play Lisa Capelli, whom the casting notice details as follows: "Late 30s, all ethnicities, with a larger-than-life personality, Lisa is Claire's next door neighbor, best friend and confidante. A tough-minded single woman who makes a decent living as a magazine photo-journalist, Lisa has held Claire's hand throughout her divorce from the infamously irresponsible Gary Peterson. It's not just a one-way street; Lisa gets to chow down on Claire's vanilla pecan waffles in exchange for her gruff, down-to-earth advice about men and divorce and post-divorce trauma. Lisa's also good in a pinch for a short-term loan to help Claire cover this month's mortgage."
Schmidt then is set as Daniel Peterson - "To play 16 years old, insecure but bright and quick-witted. Daniel is Claire's son, and the divorce will force him to grow up faster than either one of them would like, complicating their relationship. His lousy job at a cheese store is barely tolerable, since it will pay this avid fisherman enough to buy a new dinghy, and let him fish his beloved Wisconsin lakes. Best friends with the mischievous and somewhat unreliable Hunter, Daniel is having a hard time dealing with his parents' divorce, but he's hiding it quite well. When his mom balks at spending money to repair the dryer, Daniel gets fed up with wearing sopping jeans, and buckles down to the grinding task of installing a new motor in the dryer, with Hunter's questionable aid. It's his first decision as the man of the house." with Collins as Hunter - "About 16, all ethnicities. Hunter is Daniel's mischievous, kinda girl-crazy best friend. Not the most dependable guy on Earth, Hunter is just as obsessive about fishing as Daniel -- but with Hunter, fishing is just another of a long series of time-wasters. Not a detail-oriented guy (Hunter would rather ogle than focus), he assists Daniel in the dull task of putting a new motor in the dryer, and Daniel fixes the appliance in spite of Hunter's questionable help." The trio joins the previously cast Anjelah Johnson and Juliette Goglia on the project, which comes from creator Dave Caplan.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [october 2008]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[06/18/18 - 03:19 PM]
VH1's Record Breaking Phenomenon Continues with the Return of "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" Monday, July 23 at 8PM ET/PT
Ripped straight from the headlines, Tinseltown heats up as R&B songstress Kimberly Pate, formerly known as K. Michelle, returns to the franchise alongside several newcomers and series vets climbing their way to the top in the toughest city in showbiz.
|
[06/18/18 - 02:38 PM]
Bravo Media's "Shahs of Sunset" Returns for a New Season on August 2 at 9PM ET/PT
Though feisty best friends Golnesa "GG" Gharachedaghi, Mercedes "MJ" Javid, Mike Shouhed, and Reza Farahan have gone through just about everything together, the adventure is only just beginning as they each embark on the newest chapter in their lives.
|
[06/18/18 - 02:01 PM]
Global Humanitarian and Music Icon Janet Jackson to Receive Inaugural "Impact' Award at the 2018 Radio Disney Music Awards
Jackson joins previously announced honorees including Carrie Underwood, who will be receiving the "Hero" Award, and Kelly Clarkson, who will be receiving the "Icon" Award.
|
[06/18/18 - 01:10 PM]
Global Road Entertainment's Unscripted & Alternative Division to Join The Miss America Organization in Producing "The 2019 Miss America Competition"
Award-winning producer Phil Gurin, the company's president of Unscripted & Alternative Television, will join the team serving as an executive producer.
|
[06/18/18 - 10:34 AM]
"Steven Universe" Returns for Five-Night Event Monday, July 2 on Cartoon Network
The five-episode arc, "Heart of the Crystal Gems," comes on the heels of "A Single Pale Rose," which left fans reeling from the revelations about the Crystal Gems' former leader, Rose Quartz.
|
[06/18/18 - 10:07 AM]
Video: Trailer Released for Sundance Now's "Next of Kin," Making Its U.S. Debut on Thursday, June 21st
All episodes of the six-part drama star Archie Panjabi and Jack Davenport, and will be available to binge at once.
|
[06/18/18 - 10:02 AM]
Showtime(R) Orders First Ever Weekly Late-Night Talk Show Starring Desus and Mero
The first ever weekly late-night talk show on Showtime will feature popular TV and podcast personalities Desus and Mero, speaking highly off the cuff and chatting with guests at the intersection of pop culture, sports, music, politics and more.
|
[06/18/18 - 10:01 AM]
Marshmello and Disney's "DuckTales" Set to Debut Special Collaboration of "Fly" Music Video Saturday, June 23, on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW
A mix of animation and live-action, the music video launches Scrooge, his nephew Donald, great-nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie and their friend Webby into a musical outer space adventure.
|
[06/18/18 - 09:21 AM]
CNN's "The History of Comedy" Returns for Season Two on Sunday, July 15
The six-part docuseries examines what makes people laugh and how comedy has affected the social and political landscape throughout history.
|
[06/18/18 - 08:32 AM]
Schedule Change Alert - Reelz Summer Premieres
Look for new episodes of "Collision Course" and "Murder Made Me Famous" on Sunday, August 12 and Saturday, August 18, respectively.
|
[06/18/18 - 08:20 AM]
Sunday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC Holds Onto Top Spots with Game Show Lineup
The Alphabet wins the evening in both total viewers and adults 18-49.
|
[06/18/18 - 07:00 AM]
CBS Announces 16 New Houseguests for "Big Brother's" Milestone 20th Season!
This season's cast includes a flight attendant, a former undercover cop, a cyber security engineer and a Vegas entertainer, among others.
|
[06/18/18 - 06:00 AM]
Video: Set Sail with Netflix's New Trailer for "Like Father" Starring Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer
When a workaholic young executive (Kristen Bell), is left at the altar, she ends up on her Caribbean honeymoon cruise with the last person she ever expected: her estranged and equally workaholic father (Kelsey Grammer).
|
[06/18/18 - 04:10 AM]
"Hache," A Vibrant Netflix Original Thriller Series, Coming to Members Globally in 2019
Inspired by real events, "Hache" is the story of Helena (Adriana Ugarte) a woman catapulted to the heroin trafficking business in the Barcelona of the 60s.
|
[06/17/18 - 08:42 AM]
Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: "Jurassic Park" Tops Adults 18-49 for NBC
The Peacock's telecast of the 1993 film leads the night in demos.
|
|
|
|
