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[08/24/15 - 11:44 PM]
Development Update: Monday, August 24
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!


ANIMAL KINGDOM (TNT/WHT; W: Jonathan Lisco; D: John Wells) - Daniella Alonso ("Revolution") has been tapped for a role on the drama pilot, about 17-year-old Josh (Finn Cole), who moves in with his wild, free-wheeling relatives in their Southern California beach town and is pulled into their life of indulgence and excess. She'll play Catherine, "Baz's (Scott Speedman) de facto wife, and the mother of their 3-year-old daughter, Lena." Ben Robson, Ellen Barkin, Jake Weary and Shawn Hatosy also star. (Deadline.com)


DOUBT (CBS/CBSP; W: Joan Rater & Tony Phelan; D: Adam Bernstein) - Katherine Heigl ("State of Affairs") has been tapped as the new female lead on the drama pilot, about a smart, successful 30-something defense attorney who shockingly falls for one of her clients who may or may not be guilty of a brutal crime. She'll play said woman, Sadie Ellis, taking over for KaDee Strickland from the original pilot. Dreama Walker, Dule Hill, Elliott Gould, Kobi Libii and Laverne Cox also star. (Deadline.com)


DREAM TEAM (ABC, New!) - "Will & Grace" alums Kari Lizer and Bill Wrubel have scored a pilot production commitment from the Alphabet for a new single-camera comedy about Coach Marty Schumacher, "who knows how to win in the world of girls' club soccer. His last team went to the national championship, and those women are off playing in college, semipro, even the Olympic team. Now Coach Schumacher, who is known as 'the star maker' (mostly by himself), has a documentary crew following him around as he assembles his next dynasty from a diverse group of little girls that bring along their diverse families." Warner Bros. Television is behind the half-hour with said duo executive producing via their respective banners Kari's Logo Here and Here Comes Scrappy. (Deadline.com)


FLAKED (Netflix; W: Mark Chappell & Will Arnett; D: TBA) - George Basil, David Sullivan and Robert Wisdom have all been cast in the upcoming comedy, the serio-comic story of a self-appointed "guru" who falls for the object of his best friend's fascination. Soon the tangled web of half-truths and semi-bullshit that underpins his all-important image and sobriety begins to unravel. Will Arnett plays Chip, a man doing his honest best to stay one step ahead of his own lies. Basil will play The Cooler, "who has a passion for comedy but remains painfully unaware of what makes him funny"; with Sullivan as Chip's best friend, Dennis, "a man used to playing second fiddle to his uber-popular pal"; and Wisdom as George, "who loves teasing Chip and isn't afraid to abuse his police powers to do it, but also serves as a no-nonsense voice of reason." (Deadline.com, (THR.com)


GREENLEAF (OWN/Lionsgate; W: Craig Wright; D: TBA) - Lynn Whitfield, Merle Dandridge and Desiree Ross are the first to be cast in the upcoming drama, which takes viewers into the unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family and their sprawling Memphis megachurch, where scandalous secrets and lies are as numerous as the faithful. Whitfield will play Bishop Greenleaf's imperious wife Lady Mae, "a steely woman who loves money and power and will do absolutely anything to protect her position as the First Lady of Greenleaf World Ministries"; with Dandridge as Lady Mae's estranged daughter Grace, "a disillusioned former preacher who returns home after having fled her contentious family 20 years ago"; and Ross as Grace's teenage daughter, Sophia, "who finds her new extended family and extravagant new surroundings a welcome change from her previously isolated, middle-class life in Phoenix." (Deadline.com)


INSECURE (HBO; W: Issa Rae & Larry Wilmore; D: Melina Masoukas) - Jay Ellis and Yvonne Orji have both been cast in the Issa Rae-led comedy pilot, which focuses on the awkward experiences and racy tribulations of a modern day African-American woman. Rae. Ellis will play Lawrence, "Issa's depressed and unemployed boyfriend, who has been getting his act together for four years"; with Orji as Molly, "Issa's best friend. While very successful in her corporate work life, she is very unsuccessful in her love life." (Deadline.com)


TRIAL, THE (Amazon; W: David E. Kelley & Jonathan Shapiro; D: David Semel) - William Hurt has signed onto the drama project, which centers on Billy McBride (Billy Bob Thornton), a once respectable lawyer who was ousted from the high-profile firm he co-founded. Billy now spends his days getting drunk, with the occasional case tossed his way by his ex-wife. He'll play Donald Cooper, the head of his former firm. Olivia Thirlby also stars. (Variety.com)


WAY, THE (Hulu/Universal; W: Jessica Goldberg; D: Mike Cahill) - Emma Greenwell has booked a role on the upcoming drama, which examines a family at the center of a controversial faith-based movement struggling with relationships, marriage and power. She's set as Mary Cox, "an addict who is left with nothing after a tornado levels her rural town." Aaron Paul, Hugh Dancy, Kyle Allen, Michelle Monaghan, Rockmond Dunbar and Sarah Jones also star. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Greg Malins has departed FOX's new comedy "The Grinder" as showrunner over "slight creative differences" while Nat Faxon will guest as "a member of the Boise elite who comes into contact with Rob Lowe and Fred Savage's Sanderson brothers" (THR.com); Tara Karsian will recur on ABC's "Blood & Oil" as "just another patron at a Western diner, grumpy about the slow service, but things are not always as they seem" (Deadline.com); Mia Maestro is bound for "Scandal" as a yet-to-be-revealed character (Deadline.com); Zendaya will drop by "Black-ish" as a friend of Zoey's (Yara Shahidi) (People.com); David Schaal has been cast as Jimmy's dad Ronny in FXX's "You're the Worst" (EW.com); and Greg Rikaart has scored an arc on "Major Crimes" as "a confident young lawyer and anti-death penalty activist who is currently defending Slider (Garrett Coffey)" (TVLine.com).






  [august 2015]  
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M
T
W
T
F
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· ANIMAL KINGDOM (TNT)
· BLACK-ISH (ABC)
· BLOOD & OIL (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOUBT (CBS)
· DREAM TEAM (ABC)
· FLAKED (NETFLIX)
· GOLIATH (AMAZON)
· GREENLEAF (OWN)
· GRINDER, THE (FOX)
· INSECURE (HBO)
· MAJOR CRIMES (TNT)
· PATH, THE (HULU)
· REVOLUTION (NBC)
· SCANDAL (ABC)
· STATE OF AFFAIRS (NBC)
· WILL & GRACE (NBC)
· YOU'RE THE WORST (FXX)





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