 |
 |
[03/27/09 - 06:24 PM] Development Update: Friday, March 27 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!
BEN HUR (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet is set to team with Alchemy Television Group and Spain's Drimtim Entertainment for a new mini-series about the renegade hero in ancient Rome. William Wyler's 1959 film about the subject took home 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. Steve Shill ("Rome") will direct the $22.5 million production from a script by Alan Sharp ("Rob Roy"). Casting is underway on the project, which will begin filming in May in Spain, Morocco and Canada. David Wyler, William Wyler's son, is executive producing alongside Alchemy's Simon Vaughan and Drimtim's Roger Corbi. It's understood ABC plans to air the project as a limited series however no air date has been set.
EMPIRE STATE (ABC) - David Call is the latest addition to the drama pilot, "a contemporary Romeo-and-Juliet tale about the love between the blue-collar Sam (Mike Vogel) and the wealthy Annabelle (Beau Garrett) whose fathers are nemeses." He'll play the man's younger brother in the project, which comes from writer Michael Seitzman, director Jeremy Podeswa and ABC Studios.
MASTERWORK (FOX) - Aussie Matt Passmore and Brit Tom Ellis have both landed lead roles on the drama pilot, a thriller about a race against time to recover the world's most sought-after artifacts. They'll join the previously cast Natalie Dormer. Passmore will play an FBI agent specializing in the acquisition of stolen art who teams with Dormer's character, an MI-5 agent. Ellis then plays her fiance, a special agent at Scotland Yard. Paul T. Scheuring penned the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which Jeffrey Nachmanoff is directing.
NEW YORK GOES TO WORK (VH1, New!) - Tiffany "New York" Pollard is set to topline another series for the cable channel in which she undertakes various jobs suggested by text-messaging viewers. The series, from reality house 51 Minds Entertainment - home to previous Pollard efforts "I Love New York" and "Flavor of Love," will launch on Monday, May 4 at 10:00/9:00c. Here's the network's official description: "Each week America will choose from a list of three possible job opportunities and vote via their mobile phones by texting which job they would like to see Tiffany try. Will she be a Cal Trans sewer worker, a mortuary beautician, or a fast food employee? It will be up to you. And don�t think it will be easy for Tiffany. She�ll be worked, in all aspects of the job! Why again is she doing this? For the money of course. If she can impress her new employers, she�ll receive a $5,000 bonus each week. But, if she quits, fails, or gets fired, she�ll get absolutely nothing." Mark Cronin and Cris Abrego are the executive producers.
STATE OF ROMANCE (NBC) - Stephen Rannazzisi ("Big Day") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about the "Pride & Prejudice"-esque relationship between Mike (Steve Howey) and Emily (Lindsey Broad). He'll play Mike's roommate in the project, which comes from Universal Media Studios and co-creators Barbara Wallace and Tom Wolfe.
VICTORIA SILVSTEDT: MY PERFECT LIFE (E!, New!) - The cable channel has acquired the rights to the rights to the U.K.-produced reality series, which tracks the life of the former Playboy Playmate of the Year. Set to roll out Thursday, April 2 at 8:00/7:00c, the project bowed on E!'s counterpart in the U.K. back in November.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [march 2009]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[10/15/25 - 01:01 PM] Season 2 Announcement - "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Deathwatch" In this first-ever adaptation of the acclaimed stealth video game franchise, legendary agent Sam Fisher is drawn back into the field when a wounded young operative seeks out his help.
|
[10/15/25 - 01:01 PM] Video: Apple TV Debuts First Look at "Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age," Featuring the Playful Snow Sloths of the Pleistocene Narrated by Golden Globe and Olivier Award winner Tom Hiddleston, with an original score by Hans Zimmer, Anže Rozman, and Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, the five-part series premieres globally on Apple TV on November 26.
|
[10/15/25 - 12:30 PM] Follow Chris Hemsworth and His Father, Craig, on a Deeply Emotional Road Trip Back in Time in "Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember" The one-hour special premieres Sunday, November 23 at 9:00/8:00c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
|
[10/15/25 - 12:01 PM] Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - November 2025 Highlights include the premiere of Hulu's "All's Fair"; the return of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives"; and the debut of "A Very Jonas Christmas Movie" on Disney+.
|
[10/15/25 - 11:14 AM] "OWN For the Holidays" Returns for Its Seventh Year with Three Festive New Movies "Fake Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Christmas Showdown," and "Very Merry Mystery" will premiere on successive Saturdays beginning November 29.
|
[10/15/25 - 11:01 AM] National Geographic Documents Athlete Jim Morrison's Unprecedented, Historic Ski Descent on North Face of Mount Everest on October 15, 2025 National Geographic Documentary Films once again teams with Oscar and BAFTA Award-winning directors Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin to film the exhilarating and heartbreaking odyssey for the upcoming documentary "Everest North" (wt).
|
[10/15/25 - 11:01 AM] Prime Video Announces New Stand-Up Comedy Special "Kathleen Madigan - The Family Thread" The one-hour special will premiere November 21 on Prime Video.
|
[10/15/25 - 10:01 AM] "His & Hers" - Official First Look & Date Announcement From visionary filmmaker William Oldroyd, this six-episode, twisty psychological thriller is adapted from Alice Feeney's novel of the same name and stars Tessa Thompson (who also executive produces) and Jon Bernthal.
|
[10/15/25 - 10:01 AM] HBO and Raw Are in Production on a Documentary Series About the Epic Release of a Famous Whale The series, directed by Becky Read, will debut on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
|
[10/15/25 - 09:37 AM] Viaplay November 2025 Exclusive U.S. Premieres: "Vanguard"; "Meaning of Life," Season 2; "A Life's Worth" "Vanguard" is a five-part, award-winning drama series featuring high-stakes deals, groundbreaking innovation, and fierce family rivalries.
|
[10/15/25 - 09:14 AM] MGM+ Greenlights "Bosch: Start of Watch," A New Prequel Series to the Iconic Detective Franchise The series stars Cameron Monaghan as rookie cop Harry Bosch and Omari Hardwick as veteran officer Eli Bridges.
|
[10/15/25 - 09:13 AM] "Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films" to Premiere Exclusively on Disney+ November 7 The two-part documentary provides a fascinating glimpse into the making of the Oscar-winning box office phenomenon "Avatar: The Way of Water" and a first look at the upcoming "Avatar: Fire and Ash," features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, concept art, and interviews with cast and filmmakers.
|
[10/15/25 - 09:05 AM] Video: NBC Releases Official Season 2 Trailer for Comedy Series "St. Denis Medical" The series returns Monday, November 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC with back-to-back episodes and will be available to stream on Peacock.
|
[10/15/25 - 09:02 AM] Sirens On: BAFTA-Winning "Blue Lights" Returns to BritBox for Explosive Third Season Other November highlights include "Belgravia," "Friday Night Dinner," and "Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators."
|
[10/15/25 - 09:01 AM] Video: "All's Fair" - Meet the Women of All's Fair - Hulu Starring Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Teyana Taylor, Sarah Paulson and Glenn Close, "All's Fair" tells the story of a team of fierce female divorce attorneys who leave a male-dominated firm to start their own.
|
|
|
|