[07/23/12 - 11:02 PM] Development Update: Monday, July 23 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!
HANNIBAL (NBC) - Laurence Fishburne ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation") is in talks to join the cast of the upcoming drama, a contemporary take on the Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) characters from Thomas Harris's novels. He'll play Jack Crawford, "the agent-in-charge at the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI who is tasked with tracking down a certain flesh-eating serial killer." Dennis Farina, Scott Glenn and Harvey Keitel played said role in its feature film incarnations. Bryan Fuller is behind the project, from Gaumont International Television. (TVLine.com)HELLO LADIES (HBO, New!) - "The Office" co-creator Stephen Merchant is set to write, direct, executive produce and star in a new comedy pilot for the pay channel about "a gawky Englishman searching for the woman of his dreams in Los Angeles." Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky co-wrote the half-hour alongside Merchant and will likewise executive produce for ABC Studios. Production is set to begin later this year. (Deadline.com)AND IN OTHER NEWS... - ABC is reportedly mulling a swap of newcomer "The Neighbors" and returning comedy "Suburgatory" on Wednesday nights this fall (Deadline.com); Mindy Kaling will return to "The Office" for at least two episodes during the upcoming season (Vulture.com); Jack Coleman has been tapped as "a new antagonist for Stana Katic's detective" on "Castle"(TVLine.com); Michael Trucco will reprise his role as Robin's crush on "How I Met Your Mother" in a multi-episode arc (TVLine.com); David Walton, Leslie Mann and Niecy Nash are all set to visit "New Girl" this season (EW.com;THR.com); Ken Leung and Margo Martindale are bound for the new season of "Person of Interest"(@CBSTweet); Lorenzo di Bonaventura's di Bonaventura Pictures is in talks to develop Ben H. Winters's "The Last Policeman" as a TV series (Deadline.com); Georgeville Television, writer Joe Pokaski and director Martin Campbell are looking to import the U.K.'s 1978-1981 series "Blake's 7"(Deadline.com); Sarah Jones has joined the cast of "Vegas" as "the smart, fiery daughter of one of Chicago's most powerful men who works in the casino running the skim" (Deadline.com); Adam Baldwin has booked a three-episode arc on "Law & Order: SVU" as the squad's new interim captain (TVGuide.com); and Golden Brooks is set to recur on "Hart of Dixie" as "a successful woman with acerbic wit who returns to BlueBell and makes quick friends with Rachel Bilson's Zoe" (THR.com).
