or


[11/05/09 - 06:19 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, November 5
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!


CRESCENDO PROJECTS (Various, New!) - Don Cheadle, Kay Liberman and Lenore Zerman have inked a first-look deal with NBC. The pact gives the network first crack at their Crescendo banner's output. Already in the works are "Boston P.D.," from John Hlavin ("The Shield"), about "a homicide detective who discovers he shares a surprising connection to his new partner"; and "Gemini," from Sid Quashie ("NOLA"), about "an operative inside a little-known government agency that investigates crimes [who] finds himself balancing two lives, including a deep secret." Universal Media Studios is the studio attached to the former.

Outside of the Peacock, there's a small screen take on "The Star Chamber" at ABC, about "a judge who goes after dangerous criminals who are set free by a flawed judicial system." Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook and Yaphet Kotto toplined the 1983 feature. Zack Estrin ("Prison Break") is behind the hour, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television. Then there's "RX" at TNT, from Ed Horowitz ("Exit Wounds") and syndicated political columnist Norman Solomon, about "a young doctor who establishes a clinic in downtown Los Angeles." Liongsate Television is in talks to produce. Said quartet join the previously announced "March to Madness" at FX, which "chronicles the glory and the seedy side of college basketball." Joel Silverman created said hour and is executive producing alongside Pete Segal, Michael Ewing and Dave Miller for FX Productions.


DAMAGES (FX) - Sarah Wynter ("24") is the latest to land an arc on the show's upcoming third season. She'll play a mysterious "security specialist" helping a high-level assistant district attorney (Martin Short) unravel a financial scheme. Full details of course are being kept under wraps. Reiko Aylesworth, Campbell Scott, Keith Carradine and Lily Tomlin are also among the newcomers to the third season, which rolls out in January.


GUESTS OF THE AYATOLLAH (HBO, New!) - Mark Bowden's book, subtitled "The Iran Hostage Crisis, The First Battle in America's War With Militant Islam," is being eyed as a film at the pay channel. Said development comes 30 years "after militant students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and began a 444-day hostage crisis that affected U.S. and global politics." Featured writer Andrea Berloff ("World Trade Center") will pen the adaptation with William Horberg ("The Kite Runner") executive producing. Scott Rudin previously optioned the book for a feature incarnation at Paramount back in 2003 that never materialized.


JACK & DAN (FOX) - Zack Estrin ("Prison Break") has signed on as an executive producer of the upcoming drama, about Jack (Colin Hanks), "an ambitious, by-the-book detective whose habit of undermining himself has resulted in a dead-end position at the Los Angeles Police Department [where] he has been partnered with Dan (Bradley Whitford), a drunken, lecherous, wild-card cop who hangs onto his job only because of a heroic act years before." He'll serve alongside creator Matt Nix on the series, which comes from Fox Television Studios.


RECONSTRUCTION (FX, New!) - "St. Elsewhere" co-creator Joshua Brand and director/producer Peter Horton ("The Philanthropist") are set to team for a new drama at the cable channel set in a Missouri town during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. Said hour would focus on Jason, "a proper East Coast gentleman who returns from the war a changed man and seeks refuge in the border state." Brand is writing the script for the project, which will include magical elements, with Horton attached to direct. The pair will also executive produce alongside Aaron Kaplan.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [november 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 24 (FOX)
· BOSTON PD (NBC)
· DAMAGES (AUDIENCE)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· GEMINI (NBC)
· GOOD GUYS, THE (FOX)
· GUESTS OF THE AYATOLLAH (NGC)
· MARCH TO MADNESS (FX)
· PHILANTHROPIST, THE (NBC)
· PRISON BREAK (FOX)
· RECONSTRUCTION (NBC)
· RX (TNT)
· SHIELD, THE (FX)
· STAR CHAMBER, THE (AMAZON)





[03/06/26 - 12:24 PM]
FOX Entertainment Studios Signs First-Look Deal with Writer, Actor, and Creator River Gallo
Gallo is the star, writer and creator of "Ponyboi," the inaugural feature film produced under FOX Entertainment Studios' new independent film label, Tideline.

[03/06/26 - 10:51 AM]
Shudder Announces Four All-New Specials of the Cult Favorite "The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs" in 2026
The announcement comes ahead of the Shudder original's celebratory series finale, airing live tonight, Friday, March 6 at 9pm ET on Shudder and AMC+.

[03/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Boarders" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Tubi Original
The coming-of-age comedy drama returns March 15.

[03/06/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel" - Official Trailer - Netflix
An in-depth look at the formative years of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the profound influence of original guitarist, Hillel Slovak.

[03/06/26 - 09:31 AM]
Paramount+ Announces New Original Series, "Garfield" (w/t), from Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Starring Emmy Award-Winning Lamorne Morris
Inspired by the original comic strip by Jim Davis, the series features the chonky feline at his finest, with each episode featuring the pop culture icon's signature sarcasm and hilarious lackadaisy.

[03/06/26 - 07:01 AM]
CNN FlashDoc "Hollywood and the Oscars: Still Golden?" Now Streaming on CNN App
The documentary special is now streaming for CNN's streaming subscribers and will air Saturday, March 14 at 10pm ET on CNN, on the eve of Hollywood's biggest night.

[03/06/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Melania" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Coming soon to Prime Video, March 9.

[03/06/26 - 06:01 AM]
"The Night Agent" Answers the Call for a 4th Season
Season 3 hit #2 on the English TV list and earned 9.9 million views in its second week, with fans driving Seasons 1 and 2 back into the Global Top 10 list.

[03/05/26 - 11:16 AM]
Netflix Announces New Comedy Series "I Suck at Girls" Based on Justin Halpern's Bestselling Autobiography
The series will star Kayo Martin, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Laila Pruitt.

[03/05/26 - 11:05 AM]
ABC Renews "9-1-1, "9-1-1: Nashville" and "High Potential"
The Alphabet confirmed all three moves on social media today.

[03/05/26 - 11:04 AM]
More Stars Take the Stage To Present at the 98th Oscars
Will Arnett, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal and Gwyneth Paltrow are among the latest additions.

[03/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
Sandra Bernhard, Vincent Cassel, Dylan Ennis, Corentin Fila, Ari Graynor, and Nadia Tereszkiewicz Join Season 4 of "The White Lotus"
New reservations continue to fill up.

[03/05/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Harry Styles. One Night in Manchester." - Official Trailer - Netflix
In a special one off concert in Manchester, recorded on the evening of March 6, Harry Styles will play his new album, "Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally." for the very first time.

[03/05/26 - 09:47 AM]
Paramount+ Announces Unscripted Relationship Series "Making Love" (w/t) to Release in 2027
From the producers of "Love Is Blind" and "Married at First Sight" comes a bold new relationship experiment, where singles take their destiny into their own hands and attempt to turn their desires into a lifetime of love.

[03/05/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: Apple TV Debuts Imaginative Trailer for Season Two of "Wonder Pets: In the City"
Produced by Nickelodeon Animation and developed by Emmy Award winner Jennifer Oxley, the new 13-episode season is set to premiere globally on Apple TV on March 20, 2026.