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[05/01/14 - 11:28 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, May 1
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!
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).
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[12/02/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of November 24 - "Stranger Things" Escapes the Upside Down to Take No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
The series returned last week with Volume 1 of its fifth and final season, touting the biggest premiere week ever for an English language show in the history of Netflix, amassing 59.6 million views and securing No. 1 on the English TV list.
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[12/02/25 - 11:02 AM]
"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026" Announces Explosive Performance Lineup
Superstar performers include 50 Cent, Charlie Puth, Chappell Roan, Demi Lovato, Maren Morris, Mariah Carey, OneRepublic, Pitbull, Post Malone, and more!
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[12/02/25 - 10:19 AM]
Hallmark Channel Renews Long-Running Hit Series "When Calls the Heart" for Season 14
Additionally, original cast member Lori Loughlin is set to reprise her role of Abigail Stanton and will appear in six of the 12 episodes.
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[12/02/25 - 10:03 AM]
TNT Sports & Shaquille O'Neal's New "Dunkman" Limited Series Takes Flight Thursday, Dec. 4, Showcasing 40 of the Top Dunkers from Around the World
The six-episode competition will star O'Neal as commissioner and judge alongside a rotating panel of former dunk contest champions Vince Carter, Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson and Mac McClung, and Naismith Hall of Famer Chris Webber.
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[12/02/25 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix Is Developing Erotic Series "Hancock Park" with Rege-Jean Page
The Emmy nominee will star as a different kind of royalty: a member of Los Angeles high society whose family is struggling to hold onto their status.
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[12/02/25 - 09:08 AM]
Stream Formula E Races Live on The Roku Channel
Join The Roku Channel for the excitement of the 2025-2026 season, kicking off this Saturday, December 6, in São Paulo, Brazil.
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[12/02/25 - 09:06 AM]
"RuPaul's Drag Race" Ruveals the New Queens of Season 18, Premiering Friday, January 2 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on MTV
In the premiere episode, the new cast of queens will show their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent in the first challenge of the season: "Reclaim! Renew! Rejoice!"
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[12/02/25 - 09:01 AM]
The Sixth Season of the Emmy Award-Winning "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman" Premieres December 16
The sixth season features conversations with actor, director, and producer Michael B. Jordan, creator sensation and entrepreneur MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), and Emmy and Screen Actors Guild award-winning actor, producer and director Jason Bateman.
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[12/02/25 - 09:00 AM]
CBS and the Recording Academy Present "A Grammy Celebration of Latin Music," A Star-Studded Special Airing Sunday, Dec. 28 on CBS and Paramount+
"NCIS" star, producer and entrepreneur Wilmer Valderrama and singer-songwriter, actress and producer Roselyn Sánchez will co-host the evening, highlighting Latin music's lasting impact and widespread influence in the United States.
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[12/02/25 - 08:16 AM]
TLC's Hit Series "1000-lb Sisters" Returns on January 6 with a Brand-New Season
Sisters Amy and Tammy are stepping into transformative chapters of their lives, and nothing is off-limits.
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[12/02/25 - 08:01 AM]
"Stranger Things: The Finale" Fan Screening Locations Confirmed For December 31 & January 1: Get Your Seat Now!
Fans can visit www.st5finale.com for the full list of locations and for information on how to RSVP.
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[12/02/25 - 08:00 AM]
FOX Entertainment Global Secures Strong International Sales for Studio Ramsay Global Hits "Next Level Chef" and "Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service"
"Next Level Chef," produced and created by Studio Ramsay Global, has now sold in 138 territories, including ITV (UK), Bell Media (Canada), Disney/Hulu (U.S.), Foxtel (Australia), among others.
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[12/02/25 - 07:31 AM]
Nicholas Hoult and Daisy Edgar-Jones Tangle in "Mosquito" for Disney+, A Wry Relationship Comedy from Writer Tony McNamara
The British powerhouse leads play Kate and Ed, a recently married couple whose secrets begin to reveal as daily life chips away at the personas they present... all started by an intrusive mosquito.
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[12/02/25 - 07:23 AM]
The Ink Factory Sets Le Carre Series "Legacy of Spies" for BBC and MGM+
The cast is anchored by Matthew Macfadyen as George Smiley, Charlie Hunnam as Alec Leamas, Daniel Brühl as Jens Fielder and Devrim Lingnau Islamoglu as Doris Quinz.
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[12/02/25 - 07:17 AM]
Video: "Ripple" - Official Trailer (New Series)
Watch all episodes of "Ripple" on December 3 on Netflix.
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