or


[12/05/13 - 11:31 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, December 5
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!


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).






  [december 2013]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· BARELY FAMOUS (VH1)
· BRINK, THE (HBO)
· COMMUNITY (YAHOO)
· CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· GLEE (FOX)
· GRIM SLEEPER, THE (LIFETIME)
· LILYHAMMER (NORWAY) (NETFLIX)
· MOZART IN THE JUNGLE (AMAZON)
· MULANEY (FOX)
· ONCE UPON A TIME (ABC)
· STRAIN, THE (FX)
· TOMORROW PEOPLE, THE (CW)
· TWISTED (ABC FAMILY)
· WHITE GIRLS OF RAP (VH1)





[06/25/26 - 02:06 PM]
BET's 4th Annual Black + Iconic Soiree to Premiere June 29, Exclusively on Paramount+
Hosted by Emmy-nominated actress, producer, and advocate Laverne Cox, with Lavelle Dontae serving as Red Carpet Host, this year's celebration highlighted the power, influence, and impact of Black LGBTQ+ leaders and allies across entertainment, advocacy, business, and media.

[06/25/26 - 01:30 PM]
Starz in Development to Adapt International Bestseller "The Wolf King"
The bestselling romantasy book series by Lauren Palphreyman follows a captive princess who gets kidnapped by a brooding werewolf alpha and plunged into a bloodthirsty war.

[06/25/26 - 12:01 PM]
Video: "Breaking Bear" - Official Trailer - Tubi Original
A family of bears run a drug empire to raise money to save their forest from frackers and an endless array of psychotic enemies.

[06/25/26 - 12:01 PM]
The 62nd Academy of Country Music Awards Will Return to the World-Renowned MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 16, 2027
This year's event drove an estimated $53 million in total economic impact for the Las Vegas region.

[06/25/26 - 11:45 AM]
ESPN Presents "All of Wimbledon. All in One Place" June 29 - July 12
Every match from all courts stream live on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers.

[06/25/26 - 11:31 AM]
Emmy Award Nominee Lizzy Caplan Plunges Into the Insanity of FX's "Far Cry" Coming to FX and Hulu
The limited series from Noah Hawley and Rob Mac, who will also star, will retain the franchise's signature standalone storytelling format with each season set in a new setting following a new cast of characters.

[06/25/26 - 10:01 AM]
NBC Greenlights Emmy-Nominated Event Series "The Americas" for a Second Season
Expanding on the tentpole series, special episodes will roll out in the leadup to season two, starting with "The Americas: A Wild 250th," airing July 2 at 9pm ET/PT on NBC and next day on Peacock.

[06/25/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu Original "Furious"
From creator and executive producer Elizabeth Meriwether, "Furious" follows an FBI agent, Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) on the hunt for a mysterious and calculating female serial killer.

[06/25/26 - 10:00 AM]
Wonder Project Orders Two Seasons of First Original Kids' Series "Fluff Piece"
Created by Sylvia Brindis, Shane Snow, and Brian Donegan, "Fluff Piece" will premiere July 9 on Wonder Project, with two new episodes released weekly.

[06/25/26 - 09:31 AM]
Peacock's "The Paper" Reveals September 9 Premiere Date and First Look Images for Season Two
In season two, after sweeping the Ohio Journalism Awards, Ned searches for a journalistic crusade, coming for a local private club and jeopardizing the paper, while he and Mare try to figure out their attraction, Esmeralda struggles to find her place, and the staff gradually mature as reporters.

[06/25/26 - 09:26 AM]
TNT Sports and DAZN Unveil Star-Studded Broadcast Team Beginning with Inaugural "The Fight" Event on July 4
TNT Sports host Adam Lefkoe will anchor studio coverage alongside one of boxing's all-time greats, Terence Crawford, boxing analyst and Hall of Famer Tim Bradley Jr., and former two-time world champion Shawn Porter.

[06/25/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Ransom Canyon" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Staten and Quinn chase risky new ventures to bring hope and prosperity back to Ransom Canyon - and grapple with their true feelings for one another.

[06/25/26 - 09:01 AM]
Join the Chase in Searchlight Pictures' "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come," Streaming on Hulu July 2
Moments after surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace (Samara Weaving) discovers she's reached the next level of the nightmarish game - and this time with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her side.

[06/25/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Jay-Z in 8" A Candid and Intimate 8-Part Conversation Years in the Making, An HBO Original Documentary Series Debuting This Fall
The series debuts this fall on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max in the U.S.

[06/25/26 - 09:01 AM]
Nominees Announced for "The 2026 ESPYS Presented by Capital One," Airing Wednesday, July 15, at 8 P.M. ET on ABC and Streaming on the ESPN App
Top nominees include Jalen Brunson, Myles Garrett, Alysa Liu, Matthew Stafford, Rory McIlroy, Lionel Messi, Shohei Ohtani, Mikaela Shiffrin, Victor Wembanyama, and A'ja Wilson.