or


[04/27/11 - 11:20 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, April 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!


BLACK JACK (Comedy Central) - Ving Rhames has been tapped for the title role on the comedy pilot, about Black Jack (Rhames) "who, after 20 years as the most kick-ass special ops agent the U.S. government has had on its payroll, finally goes too far and is de-commissioned." Michael Starrbury penned the script while David Gordon Green is attached to direct. Rhames's casting lifts said contingency off the pilot's production. Danny McBride, Jody Hill and Matt Reilly are also executive producing alongside Green and Starrbury.


THE FIRM (NBC, New!) - eOne Television and Paramount Pictures are developing a small screen take on John Grisham's book-turned-Tom Cruise-led-feature of the same name. Lucas Reiter penned the pilot to the project, which was originally developed by CBS but stalled in the script stage. The eOne incarnation however has already been cleared for 22 episodes on Sony's AXN networks in more than 125 territories around the world with NBC in talks to carry the series domestically. As for specifics, "The Firm" will follow Mitch McDeere (Cruise in the film) and his family as they emerge from the Federal Witness Protection Program after 10 years, "determined to reclaim their lives and their future [but] soon find that past dangers are still lurking and new threats are everywhere." Casting is underway for a July production start in Canada. Grisham and Reiter are executive producing alongside John Morayniss, Michael Rosenberg and Noreen Halpern.


GAME CHANGE (HBO) - Sarah Paulson, Peter MacNicol and Justin Gaston are the latest additions to the project, a docudrama about John McCain's (Ed Harris) and Sarah Palin's (Julianne Moore) failed 2008 presidential campaign. Paulson will play McCain's senior campaign adviser Nicolle Wallace with MacNicol as McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis and Gaston as Levi Johnston, who fathered the baby of Palin's teenage daughter Bristol (Melissa Farman). Jamey Sheridan, Larry Sullivan, Ron Livingston and Woody Harrelson also star in the film, from director Jay Roach, writer Danny Strong and executive producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman.


METRO (NBC) - Oscar-winner Stephen Gaghan has signed a two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. The pact will cover his duties on the aforementioned pilot - a drama depicting a complex web of crime, policework and politics in Los Angeles, starring Jimmy Smits, Danny Pino, Noah Emmerich and Madchen Amick - should it move forward to series. He'll also develop new series projects for the studio via his Unsupervised Television banner, to be run by Suzanne Joskow. Already in the works are two efforts at FOX: a Washington, D.C. drama and an animated comedy.


NCIS (CBS) - Cote de Pablo has inked a new two-year deal to continue on the veteran Eye drama. She'll reportedly receive a significant salary bump to about $120,000 per episode - on par with the show's other female cast member, Pauley Perrette - as well as a sizable cash bonus. Said development means all the show's principal cast members - de Pablo, Perrette, Sean Murray, Michael Weatherly, David McCallum and Mark Harmon - are locked up for next season.


THE OFFICE (NBC) - Former co-executive producers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg have inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with ABC Studios. The duo, who penned the upcoming Justin Timberlake/Cameron Diaz feature "Bad Teacher," will develop new projects for the studio via their Quantity Entertainment banner.


UNDERCOVER BOSS (CBS) - A half-hour companion series - "featuring updates on the CEOs and employees, as well as previously unseen footage" - is reportedly being shopped as part of the show's off-network package by CBS Television Distribution. Said run is being targeted for a fall 2012 bow on both cable business news outlets as well as general entertainment channels. Production is underway on a pilot for the series with Stephen Lambert executive producing via his Studio Lambert banner.






  [april 2011]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· BLACK JACK (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FIRM, THE (NBC)
· GAME CHANGE (HBO)
· METRO (NBC)
· NCIS (CBS)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· UNDERCOVER BOSS (CBS)





[03/13/26 - 02:41 PM]
HBO Original Series "Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness" Debuts June 26
President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America's 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion. ...But then Larry David called.

[03/13/26 - 01:45 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers in Late Night, Friday Night and Sunday Morning
"20/20" saw week-to-week gains in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[03/13/26 - 11:00 AM]
Production Begins on the Final Season of "Mayor of Kingstown" for Paramount+
David Morse will join season five as a series regular playing Russell Hardy, a seasoned FBI agent sent to Kingstown.

[03/13/26 - 10:37 AM]
Bravo's "Married to Medicine" Two-Part Reunion Begins Sunday, March 22 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Host Andy Cohen sits down with Dr. Jackie Walters, Dr. Simone Whitmore, Dr. Contessa Metcalfe, Toya Bush Harris, Quad Webb, Dr. Mimi Sanders as well as friends Dr. Heavenly Kimes, Angel Love Davis and Brandi Milton to unpack the season's biggest moments filled with emotional revelations and shocking confrontations.

[03/13/26 - 09:36 AM]
Peacock Renews "Love Island USA" for Season Eight and Announces Premiere Dates for Upcoming Slate
"Love Island USA" returns Tuesday, June 2; while "Love Island: Beyond the Villa" is back Wednesday, April 15.

[03/13/26 - 09:02 AM]
Video: Key Art & Trailer Debut - Hulu's "Love Overboard"
The series premieres Thursday, March 26 with all nine episodes on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[03/13/26 - 09:01 AM]
History's "The Food That Built America" Returns for Season 7 on April 19
The series explores the origin stories of America's most inspiring - and sometimes ruthless - food pioneers, visionaries, and entrepreneurs who revolutionized the culinary landscape, and created groundbreaking products that became the biggest household names in history.

[03/13/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A bride has a feeling that something horrifying will happen at her wedding - and the closer to the altar she gets, the worse it becomes.

[03/13/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Hot Out the Oven - Hulu's "Pizza Movie" Trailer & Key Art
A shy college student and his reckless roommate set out on a simple mission to grab pizza, but after a strange dose of a mind-bending experimental drug, they're thrust into a chaotic night of absurd encounters, wild hallucinations, and unexpected revelations that could change their lives forever.

[03/13/26 - 07:13 AM]
FOX Sports, Imagine Documentaries & Delirio Films Announce "Summer of '94" Premiering May 23 on FOX
The film highlights the wild journey of the 1994 USMNT, a unique group of players led by an unlikely coach who endured a grueling two-year training camp, with no professional league and no roadmap, hoping simply not to embarrass their nation at the first-ever modern World Cup hosted on American soil.

[03/13/26 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "Temptation Island" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Four couples at a crossroads test their bond by splitting up and sharing a villa with alluring singles looking for love in this steamy reality series.

[03/12/26 - 09:01 PM]
"The Vampire Lestat" Set to Debut Sunday, June 7 on AMC and AMC+
Plus: Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) is back pleasing fledglings and fans worldwide with the debut of "All Fall Down," the second official rock single from the series.

[03/12/26 - 03:18 PM]
FOX Sports Scores All-Time High Team USA World Baseball Classic Viewership
3,171,000 viewers on average watched the four Team USA World Baseball Classic Pool play games across FOX, FS1 and FOX Deportes.

[03/12/26 - 03:01 PM]
CBS Midseason Premiere Week Tops Broadcast and Streaming Rankings in Live + 7-Day Multiplatform Viewership
The network scored three of the top four and 12 of the top 20 most-watched series among all broadcast and streaming competition.

[03/12/26 - 01:02 PM]
Video: Paramount+ Releases Official Trailer for Season Eight of "FBI True"
All 10 episodes of the new season will be available to stream at launch on on Tuesday, March 31.