 |
 |
[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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[06/16/26 - 03:45 PM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Stanley Cup Final Since 2019, Capping Its Most-Watched Stanley Cup Playoffs Ever
Game 6 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final averaged 5.9 million viewers on ABC, making it the most-viewed Game 6 since the same 2019 Final, and peaked with 7.2 million viewers in the 10:45 p.m. ET quarter hour.
|
[06/16/26 - 03:22 PM]
FOX Sports Nets Record 10,019,000 Viewers for Brazil-Morocco FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage Telecast
Coverage reached a peak audience of 13,119,000 viewers from 7:45-8:00 PM ET.
|
[06/16/26 - 02:16 PM]
USMNT Opener Reaches New Heights with 18 Million Viewers Across FOX, FOX One and Tubi
The telecast reached a peak audience of 21,526,000 viewers from 10:45-11:00 PM ET.
|
[06/16/26 - 01:44 PM]
Bang! Bang! ABC and ESPN Scored Most-Watched NBA Finals Since 1998
Saturday's NBA Finals Game 5 on ABC delivered an average audience of 24.5M viewers and peaked with 33M viewers watching the closing moments of the New York Knicks Championship victory.
|
[06/16/26 - 12:12 PM]
ESPN Unveils Star-Studded Summer Lineup for Women's Sports Sundays Presented by TJ Maxx
Debuting Sunday, June 21, the new franchise will deliver nine consecutive weeks of marquee women's sports programming across ESPN, ESPN2, the ESPN App, Disney+ and ESPN Deportes, featuring the WNBA and NWSL's biggest stars in premium national windows.
|
[06/16/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of June 8 - "Office Romance" Enamors Viewers to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"The Witness" climbed to the No. 1 spot on the English TV list, collecting 10.1 million views.
|
[06/16/26 - 12:01 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - July 2026
Newly announced premieres include "Abandoned" (July 1), "Soy Luna: Let's Roll Again" (July 24), and "Locker Diaries: Descendants" (July 25).
|
[06/16/26 - 10:31 AM]
Netflix Renews "Funny AF with Kevin Hart" for a Second Season
Season two is expected to release in 2027 and will include live episodes with real-time voting where members decide the winner.
|
[06/16/26 - 10:15 AM]
From Screen to Survival: Prime Video Announces Premiere Date for "The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls"
The new series, hosted by Bear Grylls, premieres August 9, 2026, on Prime Video with all six episodes available at launch.
|
[06/16/26 - 10:00 AM]
Oxygen's "The Real Murders of Atlanta" Returns for Season 4, Premiering Saturday, July 11 at 8PM ET/PT
The series is back with 10 all-new episodes exploring shocking homicide cases from the indisputable cultural capital of the South.
|
[06/16/26 - 10:00 AM]
Mickey's Holiday Plans Go Awry in New Animated Special "Mickey's Home Alone," Coming This Holiday Season
The special is set to debut in the 2026 holiday season on Disney Jr. and Disney+.
|
[06/16/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Heartstopper Forever" - Official Trailer - Netflix
It's a new school year for the Truham-Higgs gang. As Nick and Charlie's relationship deepens, their thoughts turn to life after the last bell rings.
|
[06/16/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Unveils Trailer, Key Art, and Premiere Date for Gripping New Docuseries "Murder 101"
Based on the successful KT Studios and iHeart Media true crime podcast, the series centers on a high school sociology class and their teacher, who delve into decades-old cold cases and uncover long-buried truths.
|
[06/16/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Louis C.K.: Ridiculous" - Official Trailer - Netflix
From a bee getting shot in New York City to paying strangers to take his aging father, Louis C.K. unleashes the ridiculous thoughts in his mind.
|
[06/16/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Summer's Last Resort" Premieres Exclusively on Tubi Friday, July 3
The film stars Sophia Bush, Jerry O'Connell, Violet McGraw, Tim Rozon, and Clara Alexandrova.
|
|
|
|
