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[05/18/15 - 11:28 PM]
Development Update: Monday, May 18
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!
BLACK GUN, SILVER STAR (HBO, New!) - John Sayles (Lone Star) is spearheading a mini-series at the pay channel which "tells the story of the great Bass Reeves who escaped from slavery during the civil war, fleeing into Indian territory where he honed his firearm skills." Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary's Revelations Entertainment is behind the project, with Bay Spring Productions' James Pickens, Jr. likewise executive producing. Sayles will work from Art T. Burton's biography of the same name, subtitled "The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves." (Deadline.com)
TRINKETS (MTV, New!) - Kirsten "Kiwi" Smith's young adult novels - about "three teenage girls who meet in Shoplifter's Anonymous" - are being developed as a comedy at the cable channel. Smith and Andrea Seigel (Laggies) will pen the script with 11th Street Productions' Morgan J. Freeman and Dia Sokol Savage likewise serving as executive producers. (THR.com)
YOUNG POPE, THE (HBO, New!) - Jude Law is set to star in a new eight-episode series at the pay channel which "revolves around a fictional American pope who becomes the most conservative one the Vatican has ever seen." Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino is spearheading the project, a joint production with Sky and Canal Plus, alongside fellow writers Tony Grisoni, Umberto Contarello and Stefano Rulli. Wildside's Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani; Haut et Court TV's Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta and Simon Arnal; as well as John Lyons also serve as executive producers. The series will be shot at Cinecitta Studios in Italy. (THR.com)
2015-16 BROADCAST PILOTS... - NBC plans to recast Don Hany's character Jessie Shane on its new drama "Heartbreaker" (Deadline.com); ABC likewise is revisiting its newcomer "Wicked City" with three roles set to be cast: Jack (played by Adam Rothenberg), Trish (Holley Fain); and Diver (Darrell Britt-Gibson) (Deadline.com); and "Uncle Buck" co-creators Brian Bradley and Steven Cragg have inked a new two-year overall deal with producer Universal Television (Deadline.com).
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Donick Cary has signed a two-year overall deal with CBS Television Studios but will continue as a consulting producer on HBO's "Silicon Valley" (Deadline.com); T.R. Knight is bound for Hulu's "11/22/63" as Johnny Clayton, "a salesman in 1960s Texas who can't quite break up with his estranged wife Sadie Dunhill (Sarah Gadon), even as she falls in love with Jake (James Franco)" (Deadline.com); A.J. Michalka's Lainey Lewis has been upped to series regular on "The Goldbergs" (THR.com); Frank Whaley will recur on "Under the Dome" as "a brilliant doctor and scientist with questionable motives" (Deadline.com);
Roberto Urbina is bound for ABC Family's "Recovery Road" as "the edgy and mysterious Asa" while Mischa Barton will drop by as "a patient at another center who becomes friends with Daniel Franzese's character" (Deadline.com, People.com); Ruben Blades has officially joined the cast of "Fear the Walking Dead" as Daniel, "the father of Mercedes Mason's character" (Deadline.com); Evan Handler and Cheryl Ladd have been cast as Alan Dershowitz and Linell Shapiro on FX's "American Crime Story" (THR.com); and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" executive producer Robert Carlock has likewise signed a new two-year overall deal with Universal Television (THR.com).
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[10/15/26 - 01:00 PM]
Fandango Expands Into Original Programming with "Bad Girls Club: Unfinished Business"
The special event reunites six unforgettable personalities from Season 7 of the iconic "Bad Girls Club" franchise, Fandango's most-watched season: Angie Castillo, Judi Jackson, Priscilla Mennella, Shelly Hickman, Stasi Townsend, and Tiara Hodge.
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[10/15/26 - 12:01 PM]
National Geographic's "Wolves Up Close with Bertie Gregory" Premieres Nov. 6
Reconnecting with a pack of wolves he has followed for seven years, Bertie sets out to capture one of the Arctic's most dangerous and rarely filmed hunts: wolves taking on a bull moose, prey roughly ten times their size.
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[10/15/26 - 12:00 PM]
Peacock's "Nelly and Ashanti: We Belong Together" Season Two Premieres on Thursday, Nov. 19
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[10/15/26 - 11:01 AM]
Comedy Central Announces "The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Red Flags"
The special premieres immediately following "The Daily Show" on Monday, October 26 at 11:30pm ET/PT and will be available on Paramount+, "The Daily Show's" YouTube Channel, and VOD on Tuesday, October 27.
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[10/15/26 - 11:00 AM]
The CW Network Sets Broadcast Schedule for 2026-27 Men's and Women's College Basketball
The network will also introduce "CW Courtside Wednesday" this winter, highlighting midweek marquee games across all three conferences in primetime.
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[10/15/26 - 10:29 AM]
ESPN Delivered Its Most-Watched WNBA Playoffs Ever!
Across eight games, ESPN networks averaged 1.4 million viewers, up 23% compared to coverage through the semifinals last year.
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[10/15/26 - 10:00 AM]
Skydance TV Networks to Re-Air "The Concert for New York City," Marking Its 25th Anniversary
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[10/15/26 - 09:12 AM]
Paramount+ Scottish Highland Drama "Laird" Announces Additional Casting
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[10/15/26 - 09:08 AM]
"Pardon the Interruption" Marks 25 Years of Must-See Sports Debate with Special Anniversary Celebration on ESPN
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[10/15/26 - 08:02 AM]
Al Pacino to Be Honored with the 2026 SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award
Pacino will be presented with the union's top tribute at The 33rd Annual Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA, which will stream live on Netflix Sunday, February 28, 2027, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall.
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[10/15/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Paramount+ Reveals December 18 Premiere Date & Teaser for "Frisco King," Starring Samuel L. Jackson
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[10/15/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "The Fall of El Mayo" - Official Trailer - Netflix
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[10/15/26 - 08:00 AM]
CBS Wins Its Premiere Week with Eight of the Top 10 Broadcast Shows and Delivers +9% Year-Over-Year Growth
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[10/15/26 - 07:01 AM]
TNT Sports & DAZN Present World Championship Boxing Doubleheader on "The Fight", Saturday, Oct. 17
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[10/15/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "In a Holidaze" - Official Trailer - Netflix
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