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[06/11/09 - 06:14 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, June 11
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!


GHOSTS/ALIENS (Comedy Central) - Jonathan Sadowski and Keir O'Donnell have been tapped for the lead roles on the comedy pilot, about "Trey Hamburger (Sadowski) and his loyal best friend, Mike Stevens (O'Donnell), two potheads who set out on a quest to expose the truth about the existence of ghosts and aliens." Also signing on are Rebecca Wisocky as Trey's volatile single mom Deb Hamburger and Kaylee DeFer as Trey's love interest/fellow alien hunter. Phil Johnston is behind the half-hour, which is concurrently being developed as a feature by Viacom sibling Paramount Vantage. Should the film incarnation get greenlit, the aforementioned quartet would star as well.


HEROES (NBC) - Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski have inked separate two-year overall deals with Universal Media Studios. The pacts, financial details of which weren't released, cover their duties on the NBC franchise as well as any future development. Coleite will also be upped to co-executive producer with Pokaski earning a promotion to supervising producer.


LET'S DANCE (ABC) - The Alphabet has ordered five episodes of a new dance-themed competition series in which celebrities try to re-enact a famous dance routine such as Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in "Dirty Dancing" or Gene Kelly in "Singin' in the Rain." FremantleMedia North America and reality house Whizz Kid is behind the project, which is being eyed as a winter bridge between cycles of "Dancing With the Stars." It's based on the U.K. format "Let's Dance for Comic Relief," which aired earlier this year on BBC1. In said incarnation, viewers voted for their favorites after each live performance show with the top vote getters returning for the final episode. The winner then receives an unspecified amount for the charity of their choice.


MY NAME IS EARL (NBC) - TBS has formally passed on ordering new episodes of the canceled NBC series. "While we had hoped to find a way to produce additional episodes for TBS, in the final analysis we simply could not make the economics work without seriously undermining the artistic integrity of the series," producer 20th Century Fox Television said in a statement. "As none of us, (creator Greg Garcia) included, want the show to go out on anything but a high note, we regret that we must put to rest any speculation that 'Earl' will continue." TBS likewise issued a statement saying, "TBS was in the very early stages of discussions with Fox about 'My Name is Earl,' and we are disappointed that we were not able to reach an agreement." The cable channel nevertheless will continue to carry the show's off-network run, which expands to five nights a week this fall.


ONE TREE HILL (The CW) - Robert Buckley ("Lipstick Jungle") has joined the cast of the netlet's long-running soap. He'll play Clayton, "a brash young sports agent who represents Nathan Scott (James Lafferty) and has become a close friend, ally, business partner and advisor to him while also enjoying the spoils that come from being a wealthy, handsome single guy." Brian Austin Green had been in talks to play the aforementioned role however the actor ultimately passed. Buckley, who also recurred on the CW's "Privileged" this season, inked a talent holding deal with producer Warner Bros. Television earlier this year.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [june 2009]  
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· DANCING WITH THE STARS (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· GHOSTS/ALIENS (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· HEROES (NBC)
· LET'S DANCE (ABC)
· LIPSTICK JUNGLE (NBC)
· MY NAME IS EARL (NBC)
· ONE TREE HILL (CW)
· PRIVILEGED (CW)





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