[02/21/13 - 11:07 PM] Development Update: Thursday, February 21 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!
ASSISTANCE (NBC) - Peter Cambor ("Wedding Band") has been tapped for a role on the comedy pilot, about Nora Johnson (Krysten Ritter), a magnetic hyperactive workaholic who tries to juggle the demands of her long-time boyfriend, her smug work-husband and her powerful boss. He'll play said boyfriend, Jeremy, a med school graduate with a fellowship at a Manhattan hospital. Leslye Headland is behind the single-camera project, from the Universal Television-based Gary Sanchez Productions. (Deadline.com)BAD TEACHER (CBS) - Ryan Hansen ("2 Broke Girls") has snagged a role on the single-camera comedy pilot, which is based on the Cameron Diaz-led feature about a foul-mouthed, gold-digging junior high school teacher with Ari Graynor as the title character. He'll play Joel Kotsky, "a cute shorts wearing Jason Segel-esque coach," in the Sony Pictures Television-based half-hour, from writer Hilary Winston. David Alan Grier also stars. (Deadline.com)BEVERLY HILLS COP (CBS) - Sheila Vand ("Argo") has been tapped as the female lead on the pilot, a drama which continues the film franchise with Axel Foley's (Eddie Murphy) son Aaron (Brandon T. Jackson) following in his father's footsteps, taking down the criminal elements of the rich and famous in Beverly Hills. She'll play Leila Madani ("well-educated, savvy, sexy, refined"), a Beverly Hills Detective "who gave up a life of privilege for one of independence." Also starring in the Sony Pictures Television-based hour are David Denman and Kevin Pollak. Barry Sonnenfeld is directing off a script by Shawn Ryan. (Deadline.com)BIG THUNDER (ABC) - Pierce Gagnon ("One Tree Hill") is the first to board the drama pilot, about Grant Carson (yet to be cast), "a late 19th century New York doctor and his family who relocate to a frontier mining town run by a powerful, but mysterious tycoon." He'll play Jack Carson ("adorable and frail"), Grant's terminally ill son who later seems to flourish in the Wild West. Jason Fuchs and Chris Morgan are behind the ABC Studios-based hour, to be directed by Rob Bowman, (TVLine.com)GAFFIGAN (CBS) - Mira Sorvino is set to star opposite Jim Gaffigan in the single-camera comedy pilot, about a guy who lives with his wife and five kids in a New York two-bedroom apartment. She'll play said wife, Jeannie, "a woman possessing a seemingly unlimited storehouse of energy, patience, and good humor." Peter Tolan and Gaffigan himself co-wrote the project, which is set up at Sony Pictures Television. (Deadline.com)GIRLFRIEND IN A COMA (NBC) - Daniel Stern has scored a role on the comedy pilot, about Karen McNeil (Christina Ricci), a woman who unexpectedly awakens from a coma after 17 years to find she has a teenage daughter, Evie (Miranda Cosgrove). He's set as Karen's father Tom, a salt-of-the-earth electrician, who's been raising Evie along with his wife, Connie (yet to be cast). Liz Brixius is behind the single-camera project, which comes from the Universal Television-based Wolf Films. (Deadline.com)GOTHICA (ABC) - Chris Egan and Tom Ellis have both boarded the drama pilot, about Grace Van Helsing (yet to be cast), a woman who discovers the likes of everyone from Victor Frankenstein to Dorian Gray exist in modern-day San Francisco while searching for her own identity. They'll play said literary icons: Dorian Gray, a wealthy playboy whom Grace has known and loved her entire life; and Victor Frankenstein, the head of a biotech company on a quest to bring back his recently deceased daughter; respectively. Raza Jaffrey also stars in the ABC Studios-based project, from writer Matt Lopez and director Anand Tucker. (Deadline.com)GROUND FLOOR (A.K.A. UNTITLED LAWRENCE & MALINS PROJECT) (TBS) - Greg Malins and Bill Lawrence's comedy - about a 29-year-old successful alpha male who, after crossing paths with his company's carefree support staff, realizes he's not nearly as happy as he thought he was - has found a new home at TBS, where it is on track for a pilot order. Gail Mancuso is also on board to direct the multi-camera project, which originally set up as a put pilot at CBS in August of 2011. Warner Horizon Television is behind the half-hour with Lawrence and his Doozer partner Jeff Ingold executive producing. Malins, who is currently busy with his CBS pilot "Jacked Up," however won't serve in said capacity. (Deadline.com)HATFIELDS & MCCOYS, THE (NBC) - Jesse Lee Soffer ("The Mob Doctor") has snagged a role on the drama pilot, in which a startling death re-ignites the feud between the legendary families in present day Pittsburgh. He'll play Patrick McCoy ("rugged, handsome, eyes that reveal a strong mind"), said family's prodigal son who returns home after years away. Virginia Madsen also stars in the ABC Studios-based hour, which Michael Mayer is directing from a script by John Glenn. (Deadline.com)HUNDRED, THE (The CW) - Bob Morley and Eli Goree are the first to be cast in the pilot, a post-apocalyptic drama about 100 juvenile delinquents that are banished from the multi-ringed space stations that are all that left of humanity to the surface of a wildly changed Earth. They'll play members of said group, Bellamy Black ("at 23, five years older than even the oldest of the prisoners") and Wells Jaha ("handsome and well-bred compared to the young criminals all around them"). Warner Bros. Television is behind the hour, which is based on Kass Morgan's upcoming book of the same name. Bharat Nalluri is directing from a script by Jason Rothenberg. (THR.com)MCCARTHYS, THE (CBS) - Joey McIntyre and Jessica Chaffin are the latest to be cast in the single-camera comedy pilot, about a sports-crazed Irish-Catholic family that shares a three decker house in Boston and the one member, Ronny (Jake Lacy), that dares to move out on his own. They'll play Ronny's siblings, Gerard ("competitive, very short") and Jackie ("overweight, and swings wildly from overconfidence to insecurity"), in the Sony Pictures Television-based project, from writer Brian Gallivan and director Fred Savage. Jack McGee and Jacki Weaver also star as the parents. (Deadline.com)MOM (CBS) - French Stewart has been tapped for a role on the multi-camera comedy pilot, about Christy (Anna Faris), a newly sober single mom who tries to pull her life together as a waitress in Napa Valley. He'll play Chef Rudy, the hot-tempered chef at restaurant where Christy works. The Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour also stars Allison Janney, Blake Garrett Rosenthal, Matt Jones, Nate Corddry, Sadie Calvano and Spencer Daniels. Pamela Fryman is directing from a script by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky and Gemma Baker. (Deadline.com)ORDAINED, THE (CBS) - Charlie Cox ("Boardwalk Empire") has snagged the lead role on the drama pilot, about Tom Reilly, "the son of a Kennedy-esque family who leaves the priesthood and becomes a lawyer to prevent his politician sister from being assassinated." He's set as said fellow, who's likened to the late JFK Jr. Director R.J. Cutler and writer Lisa Takeuchi Cullen are behind the CBS Television Studios-based hour. Nestor Serrano also stars. (Deadline.com)RECKLESS (ABC) - Ashton Holmes and Lou Taylor Pucci are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about David Ritter (yet to be cast), a resourceful problem solver who, when his wife, Sarah (Eloise Mumford) is unjustly imprisoned during a political uprising overseas, resorts to entering a world of political intrigue. The former will play Wyatt Bickford ("charming, entitled, used to getting what he wants"), an acquaintance from David's college days who represents several private security contractors; with the latter as Ryan Harrison ("a good guy, if slightly under-motivated"), Sarah's brother who interns at his family's manufacturing business. Ernie Hudson also stars in the ABC Studios-based hour, from director Martin Campbell and writer Chris Black. (Deadline.com)SECOND SIGHT (CBS) - Kim Dickens ("Treme") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about Ross Tanner (Jason Lee), a New Orleans detective suffering from Azoors Syndrome, an ocular eye disorder that saddles him with regular hallucinations but also opens up his subconscious in a way that aids his job. She's set as fellow detective Samantha "Sammy" Wilde, "a gregarious back country cougar with a fondness for men and liquor." Michael Cuesta is helming the CBS Television Studios-based hour off a script he co-wrote with brother Gerald, based on the U.K. series of the same name. (Deadline.com)SELECTION, THE (The CW) - Peta Sergeant is set to reprise her role on the pilot, a drama set 300 years in the future about a poor woman who is chosen by lottery to compete to become the next queen of a war-torn nation. She'll return as Gaia Woods, the strong, focused, beautiful commander of the rebels, which aims to overthrow the monarchy. Sean Patrick Thomas also stars in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which is based on Kiera Cass's novel of the same name. Alex Graves is directing from a script by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain. (Deadline.com)SLEEPY HOLLOW (FOX) - Nicole Beharie has snagged the female lead on the drama pilot, about Ichabod Crane, a Captain during the Revolutionary War, who is mysteriously transported to present day Sleepy Hollow, where he takes on the supernatural. She'll play Abbie Archer ("smart, tough, and beautiful with a history she wishes belonged to someone else"), a detective who comes to believe Ichabod's fantastical story. Katia Winter and Orlando Jones also star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, from director Len Wiseman and writers Alex Kurtzman, Phillip Iscove and Roberto Orci. (Deadline.com)TO MY ASSISTANT (FOX) - Joe Egender ("Alcatraz") and Melissa Tang ("The Goodwin Games") have both signed onto the comedy pilot, about the assistants at a big New York law firm who band together as a family to help each other cope with the obnoxious, overbearing bosses who test their sanity on a daily basis. He'll play Roy ("smart, sarcastic, cute but not great looking"), a paralegal that works for Magda (Catherine O'Hara); while she's set as fellow assistant Claire ("super cheery, quirky"), who improbably volunteers for the worst tasks. Sherry Bilsing and Ellen Plummer co-wrote the project, which is set up at Warner Bros. Television. (Deadline.com)TOMORROW PEOPLE, THE (The CW) - Robbie Amell has snagged a lead role on the pilot, a drama based on the U.K. series about young people from around the world who possesses special powers as a result of the next stage in human evolution. He'll play Stephen Jameson, a college freshman tormented by what he thinks is a sleeping disorder who's both relieved and horrified to learn he's actually one of said "tomorrow people." Luke Mitchell and Peyton List co-star in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, from writers Greg Berlanti, Julie Plec and Phil Klemmer and director Danny Cannon. (Deadline.com)AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Gail Mancuso is set to helm Andrea Abbate's comedy pilot "Keep Calm and Karey On" for ABC (Deadline.com); Constance Zimmer will recur on "The Newsroom" as a press spokesperson for the Mitt Romney campaign (Deadline.com); "Up All Night" creator Emily Spivey has inked a two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, where she'll serve as a co-executive producer on the studio's upcoming animated series "Murder Police" at FOX (Deadline.com); and Michael Imperioli will drop by "The Office" as "a karate instructor who's about ready to commit hara-kiri over Dwight's inimitable 'presence' in his dojo" (TVLine.com).
