 |
 |
[09/11/14 - 11:45 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, September 11
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!
BRAINY BUNCH, THE (ABC, New!) - Wendy and Lizzie Molyneux ("Bob's Burgers") are developing a new comedy at the Alphabet which "follows an extraordinarily gifted family who find themselves unprepared for their new lives in Orange County, CA, a place where beauty is valued more than brains." The 20th Century Fox Television-based project, which has a penalty attached, is inspired by Kitchener Harding and Mona Lisa Montoya's book of the same name, subtitled "The Harding Family's Method to College Ready by Age Twelve." Imagine Television's Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo will also serve as executive producers. (Deadline.com)
DIGITAL FORTRESS (ABC, New!) - A small screen take on Dan Brown's book - "a sexy cat-and-mouse game between a Snowden-esque character who is threatening to release all of the government's secrets to the highest bidder and a female cryptographer and her elite team who are tasked to stop him" - has received a put pilot commitment from the Alphabet. Josh Goldin and Rachel Abramowitz ("Outlaw Country") are penning the project with 20th Century Fox Television-based Imagine Television's Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)
MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, THE (Amazon; W: Frank Spotnitz; D: David Semel) - Rupert Evans ("Rogue") has snagged a lead role on the drama pilot, based on Philip K. Dick's Hugo Award-winning novel - about an alternate history in which the Axis Powers occupy the United States, where fascism rules and the few surviving Jews hide under assumed names. He'll play Frank Frink, "an artist and an intellectual with a secret." Alexa Davalos, Cary Tagawa and Luke Kleintank also star. (Deadline.com)
MR. ROBOT (USA/UCP; W: Sam Esmail; D: Niels Arden Oplev) - Portia Doubleday ("Mr. Sunshine") and Carly Chaikin ("Suburgatory") have both been cast in the drama pilot, about a young programmer, Elliot (Rami Malek), who suffers from a debilitating anti-social disorder and decides that he can only connect to people by hacking them. He wields his skills as a weapon to protect the people that he cares about. Elliot will find himself in the intersection between a cybersecurity firm he works for and the underworld organizations that are recruiting him to bring down corporate America. Doubleday will play Angela, "the pragmatic old childhood friend of Elliot and an account executive at the AllSafe Cyber Security firm"; with Chaikin as Marlene, "the chain-smoking striking hipster who also happens to be an expert at writing malicious malware - specifically, dangerous computer worms that take down entire networks." (Deadline.com)
PROTECT & SURVIVE (ABC, New!) - David Slack ("Person of Interest") has set up a potential drama at the Alphabet about "the last LAPD precinct fighting to hang on in Los Angeles after a massive disaster changed life as we know it." ABC Studios-based Shondaland is behind the hour, with Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers executive producing alongside Slack. (THR.com)
PUBLIC INTEGRITY (CBS, New!) - Aaron Tracy (Crackle's "Sequestered") has sold a new drama to the Eye which "centers on the nation's watchdogs - the passionate prosecutors of the Public Integrity Section who target criminals within the government." Said effort comes from the CBS Television Studios-based Kennedy/Marshall Co. with Rene Balcer, Robert Zotnowski and Frank Marshall also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)
SHOOTER (TNT, New!) - Stephen Hunter's book "Point of Impact" turned 2007 film by Antoine Fuqua - about "a marksman, former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg), who is coaxed back into action only to be framed for murder and goes on the run" - is being developed as a drama at the cable channel. Paramount Television is behind the project, to be written by John Hlavin (Underworld: Awakening). Wahlberg himself and his frequent collaborator Stephen Levinson will also executive produce. (Deadline.com)
SORT OF FAMILY, A (CBS, New!) - Sharon Horgan and Aaron Kaplan are re-teaming for a new multi-camera comedy at the Eye about "a single guy's discovery that a one-night stand produced a teenage son, and their clumsy attempts to form a sort of family." The former is co-writing the half-hour alongside fellow British scribe Neil Forsyth for CBS Television Studios; Kaplan's Kapital Entertainment; and Horgan and Clelia Mountford's Merman Films. (Deadline.com)
TITANS (TNT, New!) - Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) and executive-turned-scribe Marc Haimes are reportedly near a pilot order from the cable channel for a new drama about "the eponymous group of young super heroes-to-be from the DC Universe." Warner Horizon Television is behind the hour, which would focus on Dick Grayson, "who emerges from the shadow of Batman to become Nightwing, the leader of a fearless band of new Super Heroes including Starfire, Raven and many others." Goldsman will executive produce with Haimes serving as a co-executive producer. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED JOHN STAMOS PROJECT (FOX, New!) - The John Stamos-led single-camera comedy - about "a charismatic longtime bachelor whose life is upended when he discovers he's a father - and a grandfather" - has found a home at FOX. Danny Chun ("The Office") penned the ABC Studios-based half-hour and is executive producing alongside Rhode Island Ave Productions' Dan Fogelman and Stamos himself via his St. Amos banner. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED MANNY COTO/EVAN KATZ PROJECT (FOX, New!) - "24" alums Evan Katz and Manny Coto are set to re-team for a new supernatural drama at FOX about "an Iraq war vet who experiences a supernatural attack that leaves his wife in an unexplained coma. He embarks on a desperate quest to unravel the truth behind hauntings. Though a determined and acerbic loner, circumstances force him to work with a media-hungry, but not very successful team of ghost hunters. The team is led by a former university professor fired because of her research into mysterious phenomena, who is now determined to restore her reputation and academic career. Together, they chronicle dangerous, violent and truly terrifying occurrences." Michael Cuesta is also on board to direct the hour, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television. (Deadline.com)
WALK-UP, THE (NBC, New!) - Julia Brownell ("Parenthood") has set up a new multi-camera comedy at the Peacock about "two 30-something couples - one with a baby on the way - who decide to buy and live in a Brooklyn brownstone together, creating their own version of the modern urban family." Said effort, inspired by inspired by the recent TheAtlantic.com article "Two Couples, One Mortgage," comes from Jason Katims and Michelle Lee's Universal Television-based True Jack Productions. (Deadline.com)
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - HBO has passed on its drama pilot "Open" from Ryan Murphy and Lauren Gussis (Deadline.com); Bravo has pushed the return of "Shahs of Sunset" from October 13 due to striking postproduction crew members (Deadline.com); "Salem" co-creator Brannon Braga has inked a new overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television (Deadline.com); David Fumero has joined the cast of "Power" as Mike Sandoval, "the handsome new Chief of the Crime Division, who has moved from Southern California to NY to make sure this prominent investigation is run correctly" (Deadline.com); Arjay Smith is bound for "Sons of Anarchy" as "a good, street smart kid who is trying to protect his mother" (Deadline.com); Sony Pictures Television is reportedly developing a spin-off of "Married... with Childen" focusing on David Faustino's character, Bud Bundy (EOnline.com);
Ricky Gervais will guest on ABC's "Galavant" as "a medieval wizard named Xanax, who is well-known for having the best potions in all the land and excels at guiding his clients through alchemy-induced trips down memory lane" (EW.com); Linda Hunt's Hetty will visit "Scorpion" as part of a crossover with "NCIS: Los Angeles" (EW.com); Naomi Grossman is bound for "American Horror Story: Freak Show" as her "Asylum" character Pepper (EW.com); Gillian Anderson's Bedelia du Maurier has been upped to series regular on "Hannibal" (TVLine.com); Charlie Carver will guest on "Hawaii Five-0" as "an attractive young man who is devastated by a crushing recent loss, but finds comfort from an unusual source" (TVLine.com); and Marsha Stephanie Blake has booked a recurring role on "Orange Is the New Black" as "a new corrections officer" (THR.com).
|
|
|
 [september 2014]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[06/06/25 - 12:56 PM]
Saddle Up! "The McBee Dynasty: Bravoleb Watch Party" Begins Monday, June 9 at 9PM ET/PT on Bravo and Streams Next Day On Peacock
Join fan-favorite Bravolebs Craig Conover & Austen Kroll, Kristen Doute & Brittany Cartwright, and Kate Chastain & Fraser Olender as they giddy up for season 2 by diving into all the family and farmhand drama from season 1.
|
[06/06/25 - 12:31 PM]
Video: Paramount+ with Showtime Unveils Trailer and Additional Cast for "Noah's Arc: The Movie" Premiering Friday, June 20
Michael M. Jones, Tory Devon Smith, Cocoa Brown, Novi Brown, Angela Beyince, Josca, Evari Pickett, Tjay Williams and Robb Sherman will join the previously announced cast in the movie.
|
[06/06/25 - 10:42 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Soars with Star-Studded Week
"Live" ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 121 consecutive weeks across all key measures.
|
[06/06/25 - 10:03 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases Trailer for True Crime Documentary "The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets" Premiering Tuesday, June 10
After the arrest of the alleged Gilgo Beach killer, this documentary goes inside the suspects home for the first time, where exclusive commentary from his own family unravels a chilling portrait of a man accused of living a double life and hiding dark secrets under their own roof.
|
[06/06/25 - 07:30 AM]
Following +30% Surge in Viewership for the Season 4B Premiere, Showtime Renews "Couples Therapy"
The series follows world-renowned psychologist and psychoanalyst Dr. Orna Guralnik as she deftly guides couples through real-life therapy sessions.
|
[06/05/25 - 11:06 PM]
Max Original Documentary Series "Most Wanted: Teen Hacker" Debuts This September
The series follows the illegal exploits of Finnish hacker Julius Kivimäki, known as Aleksanteri Kivimäki, who rose to infamy after forcing a U.S. passenger plane to make an emergency landing, shutting down PlayStation globally and orchestrating several dangerous SWAT attacks - including one targeting the family of an FBI agent.
|
[06/05/25 - 08:01 PM]
A Tender Tale Unfolds: "The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity" Premieres July 6
Serialized on the official Weekly Shonen Magazine app, Magazine Pocket, the manga has distinguished itself in the shonen genre, selling over five million copies as of June 2025.
|
[06/05/25 - 12:30 PM]
Shocking Limited True Crime Docu-Series, "Butchers of L.A.," Premieres Thursday, June 26 on SundanceTV, Sundance Now and AMC+
Airing weekly, the three-part series sheds new light on the horrifying crimes of the "Freeway Killers" who terrorized Southern California over two decades.
|
[06/05/25 - 11:01 AM]
ESPN Events Announces 17-Game College Football Bowl Schedule for 2025-26 Season
Bowl Season will begin Saturday, December 13, with the 10th edition of the ESPN Events' Cricket Celebration Bowl.
|
[06/05/25 - 11:01 AM]
Truths and Rumors Come to a Boiling Point When Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Orange County" Returns for a New Season on Thursday, July 10 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Housewives Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, Jennifer Pedranti and Katie Ginella return for an unforgettable season as the ladies set out to uncover the truth, restore trust, heal broken bonds and everything that lies between.
|
[06/05/25 - 11:01 AM]
BET Announces the Highly Anticipated Return of "Ms. Pat Settles It" for a Third Season
As previously announced, BET Media Group extended its multi-year overall deal with Patricia "Ms. Pat" Williams under which she will produce and perform in new series and other projects across BET.
|
[06/05/25 - 11:00 AM]
Prime Video Reveals Premiere Date, First Look Images, and Teaser Art for "Butterfly," Starring and Executive Produced by Daniel Dae Kim
The spy-thriller series will premiere all episodes on August 13 and also stars Reina Hardesty, Piper Perabo, and Louis Landau.
|
[06/05/25 - 10:32 AM]
ESPN Reveals 33-Game College Football Bowl Season Slate for 2025-26
The postseason slate, including 17 ESPN Events' owned-and-operated bowls, starts Saturday, December 13, and runs through Friday, January 2.
|
[06/05/25 - 10:04 AM]
"My Big Fat Fabulous Life," "90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?" and "Welcome to Plathville" Return This July
This July, TLC expands its summer slate with the return of three hit series - each offering new beginnings, evolving relationships, and unforgettable personalities navigating love, family, and personal growth.
|
[06/05/25 - 10:01 AM]
Starz Renews "The BMF Documentary: Blowing Money Fast" for Season Two
The docuseries, which dives deeper into the real stories of the Black Mafia Family figures who inspired the "BMF" scripted series, will also serve as a complement to the fourth season of "BMF," premiering Friday, June 6.
|
|
|
|
