 |
 |
[03/08/10 - 12:04 AM]
Development Update: Monday, March 8
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!
BETWIXT (The CW) - Jessy Schram ("Life") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about three teens - Morgan Brower, Nix Uyarak and Celine Halstead - who discover they're actually "changelings," the children of mythological fairies. She'll play one of them, Morgan, who can transform into a creature with claws, fangs and yellow eyes. Allison Miller also stars as Celine, who can fly. Christian Duguay is helming the hour from a script by Elizabeth Chandler. CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television are co-producing.
BODY OF EVIDENCE (ABC) - "Past Life" alum Nicholas Bishop has booked the male lead in the drama pilot, about Megan Hunt (Dana Delany), "a medical examiner whose background as a neurosurgeon gives her a unique and refreshing crime-solving perspective but puts her at odds with nearly everyone." He'll play Peter Maxwell, an employee of the Medical Examiner's Office who's "tall with rough good looks and still maintains the body of the professional football player he once was." Bishop joins the previously cast Geoffrey Arend, Jeri Ryan, John Carroll Lynch and Windell Middlebrooks. Nelson McCormick is helming the ABC Studios-based hour from a script by Chris Murphey.
THE CAPE (NBC) - Dorian Missick ("Six Degrees") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about Vince Faraday (David Lyons), "a former cop set up as a criminal who becomes a masked hero." He's set as Marty Voyt, a former police detective and friend of Vince's who tries to recruit him to join the Lynx Corporation, an ominous company. Writer Tom Wheeler and director Simon West are behind the hour, which is set up at Universal Media Studios.
FRANKLIN & BASH (TBS) - Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar have scored the title roles on the drama pilot, about "two street lawyers and lifelong friends who, after taking down a white-shoe law firm in a high-profile case, are recruited by the firm's patriarch." Meyer will play Jared Franklin, who "is bent on sticking it to the Man," while Gosselaar is set as Steven Bash, who "has an uncanny ability to connect with a jury and judge." Their casting lifts said contingency off the pilot's production. Kevin Falls and Bill Chais co-wrote the hour, which is set up at Jamie Tarses's Sony Pictures Television-based FanFare Productions.
GLORY DAZE (TBS) - Kelly Blatz, Julianna Guill, Callard Harris, Matt Bush, Hartley Sawyer, Drew Seeley and Tim Meadows have all joined the cast of the drama pilot, about the lives of four incoming freshman in the 1980s who pledge a fraternity at a Wisconsin college. Said quartet consists of Joel Harrington (Blatz), "wide-eyed and eager to
leave home and become his own man"; Eli Schwartz (Bush), "a pudgy 18 year old Jewish virgin from suburban Chicago"; Brian Vandergriff (Sawyer), "a tall, athletic Freshman and a
quintessential California golden-boy"; and Jason Wilson (Seeley), who keeps a "gourmet coffee maker and the signed photo of Ronald Reagan" in his room. Harris then is set as Mike Reno, a junior that indoctrinates the guys into the world of Omega Chi House, with Guill as Christie Dewitt, who's "everything a Freshman guy could want...and more." Rounding out the ensemble is Meadows as Professor Haines, "a relic of 60's radical politics." Walt Becker and Mike LeSieur co-wrote the hour, the former of which is directing. Said project was previously cast-contingent.
HELLCATS (The CW) - Aly Michalka ("Phil of the Future") and Gail O'Grady ("Desperate Housewives") are the first to be cast in the presentation, a drama set in the world of competitive college cheerleading. The former will play Marty Berger ("wicked smart, an acerbic outsider"), a student at Memphis' Lancer University who's forced to try out for the Hellcats - the college's competitive cheerleading team - after she loses her scholarship. O'Grady will play her mother Wanda who tends bar at a rathskeller type snack bar on campus that serves food and drinks. Kevin Murphy penned the hour, which comes from CBS Television Studios, Tom Welling Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE (ABC) - James Patrick Stuart ("90210") and Cheyenne Jackson ("30 Rock") are the latest additions to the comedy pilot, about exes - Karen (Leah Remini) and Howard - who join forces to raise their 15-year-old boy, George. Stuart will play Carl, Karen's new husband, a sports fanatic, while Jackson is set as Scott, Howard's "really good looking" boyfriend. Casey Johnson and David Windsor co-created the half-hour, which is set up at ABC Studios and The Mark Gordon Company. Michael Fresco is directing.
KINDREDS (NBC) - Kathy Bates ("The Office") is reportedly in final talks to topline the drama pilot, about "a curmudgeonly former patent lawyer (Bates) and her group of misfit associates." Said character, Harry Korn, was originally written as a man. He was detailed as "mid-fifties, an exasperated curmudgeon" who while crusty, has "an undeniable sweetness to him." Ben Chaplin also stars in the David E. Kelley-penned hour, to be helmed by Bill D'Elia. Warner Bros. Television is producing.
MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED (FOX) - Tim Peper is the latest addition to the comedy pilot, about "a group of friends who were superstars in high school but are facing the reality of adulthood." He's on board as Griff Brooks, who was once voted most likely to succeed but is now unemployed. Kaitlin Doubleday, Kathryn Hahn and Malcolm Barrett also star in the half-hour, which comes from creator David Walpert and 20th Century Fox Television. Michael Patrick Jann is directing.
THE PINK HOUSE (NBC) - Michael Cassidy ("Privileged") has booked one of the lead roles on the comedy pilot, about "two Midwestern guys who move to Los Angeles and rent a house on the beach." He'll play one of them, either John "Fitz" Fitzgerald or Rob "Bernie" Burnett, both of whom are described as in their "twenties, handsome and in good shape." Katharine McPhee also stars in the Universal Media Studios-based half-hour, which was penned by Kenny Schwartz and Rick Weiner. Michael Lembeck is directing.
TRUE BLUE (ABC) - Scott Foley ("The Unit") is the latest to book a role on the drama pilot, about "six former best friends who rose through the ranks at the San Francisco Police Department and reunite to solve the murder of one of their own." He'll play Peter Callahan ("mid-30s, moviestar good looks, Italian suit"), now an Assistant District Attorney. Ana Ortiz, Eric Lange, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Marc Blucas and Poppy Montgomery also star in the ABC Studios-based hour, which Peter Horton is directing from a script by Chris Brancato and Jon Harmon Feldman.
UNTITLED TAD QUILL PROJECT (CBS) - The Eye has shelved the comedy pilot, about "a widowed father of a 12-year-old boy who re-enters the dating world." Said decision is reportedly tied to difficulties in casting the lead, Jack Lewis, and Sebastian, his 12-year-old son. Tad Quill is behind the multi-camera half-hour, which is set up at CBS Television Studios.
UNTITLED WYOMING PROJECT (The CW) - Ryan Hawley and Kathleen Chalfant have each booked roles on the drama pilot, about Gideon (Sean Faris), a horse trainer who becomes the patriarch of a Wyoming family after both their parents pass away. Hawley will play Dakin, Gideon's younger, estranged brother who returns home from Stanford University to help out. Chalfant then is set as Marie December, the crotchety grandmother of Gideon's love interest Lucy (Scarlett Johnson), whom she's returned home from New York to take care of. Alan Ruck and Renee Smith co-star in the hour, which comes from co-creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino. CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television are producing.
WRIGHT VS. WRONG (ABC) - Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous") and Melissa Rauch ("The Big Bang Theory") have both joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about Evelyn Wright (Debra Messing), "a driven conservative pundit who tries to maintain her public persona despite facing her own vulnerabilities." He'll play Adrian Manly, Evelyn's contributing writer, "a hip, NYU grad biding his time until he can get a job at The Daily Show... he and his wife, Tami, are organic, Prius liberals." She's set as Crystal Ball, Evelyn's personal assistant, whose "wide-eyed freshly scrubbed face makes it hard to peg her age, she could be 18 or 40... she is the best Christianity has to offer; kind, non-judgemental, joyous, a true lamb of God." Andy Fickman is helming the Sony Pictures Television-based project, which was penned by Stephanie Weir.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [march 2010]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[03/09/26 - 12:15 PM]
ABC and Hulu Are Rolling Out the Red Carpet for the Biggest Night in Hollywood!
Tamron Hall and Jesse Palmer will host "The Oscars Red Carpet Show," the official lead-in to the 98th Oscars on Sunday, March 15, airing at 6:30 p.m. EDT/3:30 p.m. PDT on ABC and Hulu.
|
[03/09/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: Trailer and Key Art Debut - Hulu Original "Dear Killer Nannies"
The new Latin American drama series is inspired by the childhood and adolescence of Juan Pablo Escobar.
|
[03/09/26 - 10:01 AM]
"The Drew Barrymore Show" Renewed for Two Seasons
The two-season renewal will take the daytime show through 2028.
|
[03/09/26 - 09:37 AM]
Peacock Lands Exclusive Next-Day Streaming Rights in the US for "Saturday Night Live UK"
Premiering Saturday, March 21 on SKY One and NOW in the UK, the series will stream next day on Peacock in the US, with new episodes available weekly beginning March 22.
|
[03/09/26 - 09:00 AM]
"Philly Homicide" Returns to Oxygen for Season Two
The 10-episode season of its gripping original series premiering Saturday, April 11 at 8:00/7:00c.
|
[03/09/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "XO, Kitty" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
This season, Lana Condor will reprise her role as Lara Jean, making it her first time appearing in the series and officially returning to the franchise.
|
[03/09/26 - 08:09 AM]
AMC Networks Orders Second Season of "The Audacity" from Jonathan Glatzer Days Before World Premiere at South by Southwest
The first season of eight episodes comes to AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, April 12.
|
[03/09/26 - 07:01 AM]
"The Predator of Seville" Premieres on Netflix on March 27
The new docuseries reconstructs the case of a tour guide accused of assaulting several foreign students in Spain.
|
[03/09/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV Unveils Trailer for "Margo's Got Money Troubles"
The eight-episode series will premiere globally on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 with three episodes, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through May 20, 2026.
|
[03/09/26 - 07:00 AM]
ESPN and the Southern Conference Announce Multi-Year Media Rights Extension
The extended agreement represents an expanded commitment by ESPN, anchored by a robust slate of regular-season and championship broadcasts across ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU, along with comprehensive digital distribution through ESPN's direct-to-consumer services.
|
[03/09/26 - 06:01 AM]
Francis Ngannou Makes Highly Anticipated Return to MMA vs. Philipe Lins on MVP's Rousey vs. Carano, Ngannou vs. Lins on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, Live Globally Only on Netflix
The bout marks Ngannou's highly anticipated return to professional MMA competition following his crossover into global boxing events and his dominant PFL Championship victory in 2024.
|
[03/09/26 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "Inside" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Content creators take on a series of jaw-dropping challenges for the potential to win a huge prize fund in this reality series from viral YouTubers, the Sidemen.
|
[03/09/26 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: Sweden" - Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
New season. New singles. New drama. As they date and get engaged sight unseen, which of these Swedish couples will discover that love is truly blind?
|
[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+.
|
|
|
|
