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[12/05/13 - 11:31 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, December 5
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) |
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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!
THE BRINK (HBO; W: Kim Benabib & Roberto Benabib; D: Jay Roach) - Esai Morales ("Criminal Minds") is the latest addition to the comedy pilot, about three compromised souls who must pull through the chaos around them to save the planet from World War Three: U.S. Secretary of State Walter Hollander (Tim Robbins); Alex Coppins (Jack Black), a lowly Foreign Service officer; and Zeke Callahan (Pablo Schreiber), an ace Navy fighter pilot. He'll play Julian Navarro, the President of the United States. Aasif Mandvi, Geoff Pierson and Maribeth Monroe also star. (Deadline.com)
GIRLS IN THE GAME (VH1, New!) - Ryan Seacrest Productions has scored a six-episode order from the cable channel for a half-hour reality series about "a group of up-and-coming white female rappers as they aspire to and struggle for fame." Ryan Seacrest is executive producing alongside Adam Sher. (THR.com)
THE GRIM SLEEPER (Lifetime, New!) - Dreama Walker, Macy Gray, Ernie Hudson and Michael O'Neill are set to star in an original movie at the cable channel "inspired by the true stories of the victims and survivor of the alleged serial killer dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" - referring to the apparent 14-year hiatus between his alleged murders." Walker will play investigative reporter Christine Pelisek, "who broke the story of the serial killer and coined the nickname," with Gray as Enietra "Margette" Washington (Gray), "the only known surviving victim of the Grim Sleeper, who provided a detailed account of the killer and his MO." Hudson and O'Neill then will play police officers investigating the case with Pelisek. Stanley M. Brooks is directing from a script by Robert Nathan and Teena Booth with Michael Jaffe and Joe Pichirallo serving as executive producers and Richard Bullock and Christian Bruyere as producers. (Deadline.com)
MOZART IN THE JUNGLE (Amazon; W: Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman & Alex Timbers; D: TBA) - Malcolm McDowell, Lola Kirke, Bernadette Peters, Saffron Burrows, Peter Vack and Hannah Dunne will all join Gael García Bernal in the comedy pilot, about sex, drugs - and classical music - and shows that what happens behind the curtains at the symphony can be just as captivating as what happens on stage. McDowell will play Thomas, "a seasoned conductor being forced into retirement by the arrival of hotshot new conductor Rodrigo (Bernal)"; with Kirke as "the impressionable oboist Hailey"; Peters as Gloria, "the Chairwoman of the Board of the symphony"; Burrows as Cynthia, "a cellist in the middle of an affair with Thomas," Vack as Joshua, "a talented dancer out of Juilliard who becomes Hailey's love interest"; and Dunne as Lizzie, "Hailey's friend and roommate." (Deadline.com)
MULANEY (FOX/Universal; W: John Mulaney; D: Andy Ackerman) - Elliott Gould, Nasim Pedrad, Seaton Smith and Zack Pearlman have all been cast in the network's revival of the NBC pilot, about an aspiring comedian (John Mulaney) coming of age under the influence of his boss (Martin Short), his roommates and his neighbors. The former trio also starred in the original incarnation. Gould will return as Alfred, Mulaney's intimidating gay neighbor; with Pedrad as Jane, Mulaney's roommate who has been reconceived as "a personal trainer fixated on fairness and justice in her life - particularly, her romantic life." Smith then will play Motif, "an experienced comedian and ladies' man whom Mulaney often tries to emulate, but never quite will"; with Pearlman as a new character Andre, "a stubborn but energetic 29-year-old trust fund baby." Griffin Newman, who played Mulaney's other roommate, will not return. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED FOSTERS PROJECT (VH1, New!) - Erin Foster and Sara Foster, daughters of Grammy Award winner and Verve Music Group chairman David Foster, are set to star in a potential comic reality series about "two sisters who say they would never do a reality show, but are being filmed by a camera crew." 3 Arts Entertainment's Oly Obst, Kimberly Carver and Josh Lieberman are executive producing alongside Good Clean Fun's Jason Carbone. The show, which "explores the hypocrisy of reality TV," has a presentation commitment. (Deadline.com)
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Norwegian broadcaster NRK is in the final stages of negotiations with producer Rubicon TV for a third season of "Lilyhammer" (Deadline.com); Brianne Howey will recur on "Twisted" as "a free spirit who is full of life and takes chances [who] comes to Green Grove to live with her father (Ivan Sergei) for a fresh start" (Deadline.com); Entertainment One is developing a new action drama with actress Pam Grier and writer Bennie Richburg (Deadline.com); Regina King and Melanie Merkosky are both bound for FX's "The Strain" as Ruby Wain, "the smart and accomplished manager of philandering rock star Gabriel Bolivar (Jack Kesy)," and "Jim Kent's (Sean Astin) wife Sylvia, who is suffering from cancer," respectively (Deadline.com);
Dianna Agron is the latest "Glee" alum set to return for the show's 100th episode (@MrRPMurphy); Chris Elliott will drop by "Community" as "the quirky founder of Greendale Community College who went missing many years ago after a bizarre sex scandal" (EW.com); Rebecca Mader will visit "Once Upon a Time" as "the newest villain going up against Storybrooke's forces of good" (EOnline.com); and James Landry Hebert will guest on "The Tomorrow People" as "a mysterious hitman who teleports past security and reads his victims minds" (TVGuide.com).
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[09/03/26 - 03:15 PM]
Brutal Murder Inspired by Horror Film Is First Original ABC News Video Podcast to Premiere Exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu Sept. 4
Based on the Hulu documentary, the six-part series - with new, never-before-seen material and hosted by the producers of the original documentary, Pat Rogers and Conor McCarthy - takes viewers deeper into the slaying of Idaho teenager Cassie Stoddart by killers influenced by a horror film.
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[09/03/26 - 02:31 PM]
FOX Greenlights "Mammoth," A New Comedy Series from Emmy Award-Winning "Modern Family" Co-Creator/Executive Producer Christopher Lloyd and Executive Producer/Writer Danny Zuker
Based on the original BBC Studios U.K. production of the same name and created by Welsh comedian and writer Mike Bubbins, "Mammoth" is produced by FOX Entertainment Studios.
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[09/03/26 - 02:01 PM]
"Famous Last Words" Honors the Life and Legacy of Gloria Steinem
Conducted by Emmy Award winner Brad Falchuk in February 2025, the episode captures Steinem not just as a media spokeswoman, but as a lifelong traveler on the road to justice.
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[09/03/26 - 01:32 PM]
Video: Abbott House Rock - "Abbott Elementary" Season 6
No such thing as too cool for school(house).
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[09/03/26 - 01:01 PM]
Netflix Expands Broadcast Team for First-Ever Regular Season NFL Game in Australia
The studio desk and in-game broadcast team will also return across Netflix's entire 2026-2027 NFL slate, with more names to come.
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[09/03/26 - 11:03 AM]
Kevin Zegers, Paul Gross, and Milla Jovovich Join the Cast of "Heated Rivalry" Season 2
And the crowd goes crazy.
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[09/03/26 - 11:03 AM]
Video: "R.J. Decker" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Premieres September 15
The stakes are higher and the cases are weirder, but R.J. Decker is just getting started.
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[09/03/26 - 10:10 AM]
"Gold Rush" - New Season Premieres Friday, October 2 on Discovery Channel
As soaring gold prices attract a new wave of fortune seekers to the Yukon, mining veterans and ambitious newcomers alike risk everything in pursuit of life-changing riches.
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[09/03/26 - 10:08 AM]
Deliciously Deceptive Desserts Hide in Plain Sight in New Food Network Series "Sweet Deceit" Hosted by Josh Peck
The series is hosted by actor Josh Peck, who hilariously commands the on-screen hijinks as he leads contestants through four rounds as they try to identify masterfully disguised sweets created by world-class cake artists.
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[09/03/26 - 10:07 AM]
HBO Max Commemorates 25th Anniversary of HBO Original "Band of Brothers" with Debut of New Documentary "Band of Brothers: Legacy" and In-App Extra Content
Coinciding with the series' quarter-century milestone, the commemoration will feature the premiere of the new documentary, offering fans an intimate look at the series' production and enduring impact.
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[09/03/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: Meet the Competition - "The Traitors: New Blood" - NBC
Ordinary people. Extraordinary deceit. Meet the everyday Americans who accepted the invitation to play the ultimate murder mystery game deep in the Scottish Highlands.
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[09/03/26 - 10:00 AM]
"Soul Train Awards" Returns to BET and Makes Debut on CBS
BET Her, VH1, MTV2 and Logo will also simulcast this year's event, airing Friday, November 27.
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[09/03/26 - 09:34 AM]
"Everest: The Other Side" from Oscar-Winning Filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin Receives Its World Premiere at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival
The documentary from Walt Disney Studios, National Geographic Documentary Films, and Little Monster Films was just announced as part of the official line-up for the 53rd Telluride Film Festival.
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[09/03/26 - 09:05 AM]
Video: "Death and Mystery in the Amazon" - Official Trailer - HBO Max
Tatunca promised to take several people to the "Lost City." They never returned.
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[09/03/26 - 09:02 AM]
Hit Series "The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd" Returns with a New Season Friday, October 2 at 9/8c on The History Channel
Each hour-long episode brings these stranger-than-fiction stories to life through vivid recreations, bold graphics, remarkable archival footage, and a cast of expert storytellers.
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