 |
 |
[05/01/14 - 11:28 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, May 1
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!
BESSIE (HBO, New!) - Queen Latifah is set to play iconic blues singer Bessie Smith in a proposed biopic at the pay channel, which "chronicles how Smith overcame her tempestuous personal life to become one of the most acclaimed performing and recording artists of the 1920s and '30s, earning the nickname Empress of the Blues." Dee Rees (Pariah) wrote and will direct the project, which is based on the biography "Bessie" written by Chris Albertson. Latifah will also executive produce alongside Shakim Compere, Lili Fini Zanuck, Richard Zanuck, Shelby Stone and Randi Michel with Hallie Foote as co-executive producer and Ron Schmidt as producer for Flavor Unit Entertainment and the Zanuck Company. (Deadline.com)
DIG (USA/UCP; W: Gideon Raff & Tim Kring; D: S.J. Clarkson) - Regina Taylor and Omar Metwally have both booked roles on the event series, about an FBI agent stationed in Jerusalem (Jason Isaacs) who, while investigating a murder of a young female archeologist, uncovers a conspiracy 2000 years in the making. She'll play Ruth Ridell, "the U.S. ambassador to Israel who has little time for problems that Peter creates for her with the local authorities"; while he's set as Yussef Khalid, "an American who disappeared after being accused of murder." Alison Loren Sudol, Anne Heche and David Costabile also star. (THR.com)
HOW AND WHY (FX/FXP; W/D: Charlie Kaufman) - Marcella Plunkett (Dark Touch) has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, the story of a man, Goodman Hesselman (John Hawkes), who can explain how and why a nuclear reactor works, but is clueless about life. She'll play two roles, "Cynthia, a photographer at Goodman's new TV station in Murfreesboro, and Magda, Mendelson's (Michael Cera) secretary, whose day is spent in a cramped, tiny room, not much bigger than her desk." Sally Hawkins and Catherine Keener also star. (Deadline.com)
UNSTRUNG (ABC Family; W: Emily Whitesell; D: TBA) - Chanel Celaya and Sofia Mattsson are the first to be cast in the drama pilot, which explores the sexy, cutthroat, and emotional stakes of the professional world tour of tennis as brother and sister Luke and Ellie Holt compete to move up the ranks. Celaya will play the aforementioned Ellie, "an athletic, spunky beauty with great talent but not-so-great discipline"; with Mattsson as Ninotchka Andropov, "a diva ranked 3rd in the world but first in looks." (THR.com)
UNTITLED ANDY ST. CLAIR/PAUL O'TOOLE PROJECT (MTV, New!) - Andy St. Clair and Paul O'Toole have scored a cast-contingent pilot order from the network for a new comedy about "22-year-old Andy, who after he catches his girlfriend cheating, accidentally rear-ends a celebrity. Taking pity on Andy, the celebrity takes it upon himself to teach him how to man up." Odenkirk Provissiero's Marc Provissiero will executive produce the project with St. Clair and O'Toole serving as co-executive producers. (THR.com)
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Brian Percival has bowed out of helming the AMC drama pilot "Knifeman" for personal reasons (Deadline.com); "Nashville" executive producer R.J. Cutler has signed a first-look development deal with CBS Television Studios for scripted projects, ending his run at Lionsgate Television (Deadline.com); Kristin Chenoweth has been cast as Maleficent in Disney Channel's "Descendants," "who butts horns with her daughter Mal (Dove Cameron)" (Deadline.com); Nestor Serrano and Brit Morgan will both recur on the new season of "Graceland" (TVLine.com); and Tyler Hilton is bound for the upcoming CBS drama "Extant" as "the chief coder on the Humanichs Project at the center of the story" (THR.com).
|
|
|
 [may 2014]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[06/01/25 - 06:02 AM]
ABC's Exclusive Coverage of the 2025 NBA Finals Presented by YouTube TV Begins June 5: Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
ABC has been the exclusive home of the NBA Finals since 2003.
|
[05/31/25 - 07:01 PM]
"Tudum 2025: The Live Event" Celebrates Our Biggest Fandoms with Members Around the World
The celebration brought thousands of fans at the sold-out Kia Forum as well as members watching live on Netflix around the world closer to the stars from their favorite series such as "One Piece," "Squid Game," "Stranger Things" and "Wednesday" and most anticipated films like "Frankenstein," "Happy Gilmore 2," "The Rip" and "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery."
|
[05/31/25 - 06:30 PM]
Acorn TV's Hit Irish Mystery Series "Harry Wild" Renewed for a Fifth Season
The news was announced during a conversation with series star and executive producer Jane Seymour at the 2025 ATX Television Festival, who will reprise her role as Harry Wild, the titular amateur detective.
|
[05/31/25 - 06:03 PM]
Video: Prime Video Announces Premiere Date and Releases Explosive Teaser Trailer for "Gen V" Season Two
The second season of the deranged series from the world of "The Boys," from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on September 17.
|
[05/31/25 - 04:37 PM]
Video: Showtime Reveals Official Trailer for "Dexter: Resurrection" During CCXP Panel in Mexico City
The trailer made its global debut at CCXP Mexico City during the panel featuring showrunner and executive producer Clyde Phillips, executive producer and star Michael C. Hall, series star David Zayas and executive producer Scott Reynolds.
|
[05/31/25 - 12:04 PM]
Video: "The War Between the Land and the Sea" - Disney+
Only the tides could have kept them apart.
|
[05/30/25 - 11:31 AM]
AMC Networks Shares Updates on the Anne Rice Immortal Universe at ATX TV Festival
Celine Buckens and Jason Schwartzman are the latest bound for "Anne Rice's Talamasca," which debuts this October on AMC and AMC+.
|
[05/30/25 - 11:03 AM]
Hulu Originals & Exclusives Summer 2025 Programming Slate
Newly announced premieres include "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox" on August 20.
|
[05/30/25 - 09:02 AM]
Date Announcement & First Look: Hulu's "King of the Hill" Season 14
The season 14 revival picks up several years after we last saw the Hill family.
|
[05/30/25 - 09:00 AM]
"The Alto Knights" Begins Streaming Exclusively on Max June 6
The film stars Academy Award winner Robert De Niro in a dual role, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson.
|
[05/30/25 - 07:01 AM]
Nat Geo Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Blockbuster Film "Jaws" with the Only Authorized Documentary, "Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story"
The documentary premieres July 10 at 9:00/8:00c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
|
[05/29/25 - 02:16 PM]
Apple TV+ Sets Riveting New Series Starring Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz and Stephen Graham, Based on the Internationally Bestselling Crime Novels by Lars Kepler
The 10-episode drama is written and executive produced by BAFTA Award-winner Rowan Joffe and John Hlavin, with Emmy, Peabody and DGA Award-winner Tim Van Patten set to executive produce and direct the first two episodes.
|
[05/29/25 - 12:00 PM]
Prime Video Unmasks Master Romance Con Artist in Original True Crime Docuseries "ROMCON: Who the F*** is Jason Porter?"
The series follows successful Toronto real estate broker Heather Rovet as she discovers her perfect three-year romance with "Jace" was nothing but a scam.
|
[05/29/25 - 11:31 AM]
AXS TV Presents a Special Broadcast of the Acclaimed Rock Doc Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine in Honor of the Band's 50th Anniversary on June 7 & 9
The film tells the true heavy metal underdog story of Canadian outfit Triumph, whose signature sound and revolutionary stage show rocked fans around the world.
|
[05/29/25 - 11:28 AM]
Prime Video's "FACEOFF: Inside the NHL" Announces Powerhouse Season 2 Roster Additions
The series takes viewers behind the scenes of the National Hockey League, delivering an unfiltered look at the players' lives, training regimens, and the high-stakes world of professional hockey.
|
|
|
|
