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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!
BRADDOCK & JACKSON (FX/Lionsgate; W: Bob Boyett & Robert Horn; D: TBA) - Edi Patterson has joined the cast of the upcoming comedy, about two Chicago lawyers (Kelsey Grammer, Martin Lawrence) from vastly different backgrounds who unexpectedly meet in court on the worst day of their lives. Brought together by fate and greed, they develop a partnership and friendship, forcing each other to find the balance between the ethical and the unscrupulous in both their professional and personal lives. She'll play Verushka, "a sexy Russian woman who co-owns the massage shop next door." (Deadline.com)
GAFFIGAN (CBS/Sony; W: Jim Gaffigan & Peter Tolan; D: TBA) - Tongayi Chirisa will reprise his role on the Eye's re-do of the comedy pilot, about a husband (Jim Gaffigan) and wife trying to raise their five kids in a New York two-bedroom apartment. He'll return as Father Nicholas Ngungumbane, "a Catholic priest from Zimbabwe, recently relocated to New York and thrilled to be living in the United States, who tries to convince Jim to come to church more often." (Deadline.com)
THE LAST TYCOON (HBO, New!) - Billy Ray (Captain Phillips) is spearheading a potential drama at the pay channel based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's final unfinished novel, about Monroe Stahr, "Hollywood's first wunderkind studio executive in the 1930's as he climbs to the height of power pitting him against his mentor and current head of the studio Pat Brady." Said characters were inspired by real-life executives Irving Thalberg and Louis B. Mayer. Christopher Keyser ("Lone Star") is also on board as showrunner of the Sony Pictures Television-based project, which has a penalty attached. Also serving as executive producers are Perri Kipperman, Josh Maurer, David Stern and Alix Witlin. (Deadline.com)
OLIVE KITTERIDGE (HBO; W: Jane Anderson; D: Lisa Cholodenko) - Oscar-nominee Bill Murray (Lost in Translation) has booked a role on the mini-series, based on Jane Anderson's novel, about "a seemingly placid New England town wrought with illicit affairs, crime and tragedy, told through the lens of Olive (Frances McDormand)." He's set as Jack Kennison, "a local widower whom Kitteridge befriends." Brady Corbet, Jesse Plemons, John Gallagher, Jr., Richard Jenkins, Rosemarie DeWitt and Zoe Kazan also star. (Deadline.com)
THREE THE HARD WAY (FOX, New!) - The life of NBA superstar Dwyane Wade is being eyed as a potential comedy at the network featuring "Wade and his entourage of eccentric friends as they find themselves parenting by committee when he gets full custody of his two young sons." Ben Watkins ("Burn Notice") is penning the project, which is inspired by Wade's bestselling book "A Father First." Mike Tollin of Mandalay Sports Media and Justin Lin, Danielle Woodrow and Troy Craig Poon of Perfect Storm Entertainment then will executive produce alongside Wade - via his ZZ Productions banner - and Watkins. No studio was indiciated. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED ERIN EHRLICH PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Erin Ehrlich ("Awkward") has sold a new comedy to the Peacock about "a group of young 20-something nursing students and the doctors, hospital staff and patents they encounter on their way to becoming full-fledged nurses at St. Genevieve's Hospital." Universal Television is behind the half-hour with David Janollari Entertainment's David Janollari executive producing alongside Ehrlich. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED LIZ W. GARCIA & JOSHUA HARTO PROJECT (The CW, New!) - Liz W. Garcia and Joshua Harto ("Memphis Beat") are developing a new drama at the netlet about "a young female FBI agent with the New York City Joint Terrorism Task Force whose undercover assignment at a prestigious New York university becomes the focus of the entire agency when she discovers a vital terrorist cell hiding in plain sight." The project is set up at Warner Bros. Television with Bill Haber ("Rizzoli & Isles") of Ostar Productions also among the executive producers. (Deadline.com)
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - MTV has ordered 10 more episodes of "Awkward," bringing its season four total to 20 episodes (Deadline.com); Christine Evangelista and Daisy Betts will recur on "Chicago Fire" as "a new paramedic at 51, a firecracker who gives as good as she gets and knows what she's doing when the bells go off" and "a fire academy candidate who is taking Kelly's (Taylor Kinney) class", respectively (Deadline.com, TVLine.com); Julian Sands has likewise booked an arc on NBC's "Crossbones" as William Jagger, "an aristocrat-turned-privateer and governor of Jamaica who dispatches Tom Lowe (Richard Coyle) to accompany inventor-mathematician Benedict Nightingale and his Marine Chronometer to England by way of a secret convoy" (Deadline.com); Meredith Stiehm has inked a two-year overall deal with Fox 21 where she'll return to the studio's "Homeland" for season four as well as continue to be involved with "The Bridge" (Deadline.com);
Katrina Law has been cast as Ra's al Ghul's other progeny, Nyssa al Ghul, on "Arrow" (TVGuide.com); Michael Wincott has joined the cast of "24: Live Another Day" as Adrian, "a charismatic hacker and a leader of the free information movement" (EW.com); Robert Gant will guest on "The Tomorrow People" as "the surprise boyfriend of Stephen's mom [who] may have ulterior motives for dating her" (TVLine.com); Debra Mooney will visit "Parks & Recreation" as "one-half of a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary" (TVLine.com); Fred Dryer has scored an arc on NBC's "Crisis" as "a powerful, imposing, confident and wise seasoned CIA agent who, despite being in his 60s, can still kick butt" (THR.com); and "Family Guy" has secured the services of Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis and Mike Henry for at least two more years (with the option for three more) in a deal valued between $175,000 and $225,000 per episode (THR.com).
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