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[08/05/21 - 11:51 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, August 5
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!


DROPOUT, THE (Hulu) - The streamer's Elizabeth Holmes limited series has cast Sam Waterston as George Schultz, "former Secretary of State (among other high-level Cabinet posts), he was also an economist, diplomat, businessman and a major leader in shaping the foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration"; Kurtwood Smith as David Boies, "the high-powered lawyer representing Elizabeth Holmes in court"; and Anne Archer as Charlotte Schultz, "George Schultz's wife." (Deadline.com)
IMPEACHMENT: AMERICAN CRIME STORY (FX) - Cobie Smulders has been cast as Ann Coulter in the franchise's latest installment. She places Betty Gilpin, who has "exited the cast due to scheduling complications during the pandemic." (Variety.com)
IRMA VEP (HBO) - Byron Bowers and Tom Sturridge have both boarded the Alicia Vikander-led limited series. Bowers will play Herman, "a Hollywood filmmaker who's in Paris to promote his latest film. He'll take director René Vidal's place for the time being in the Vampires project." And Sturridge is "Mira's ex-boyfriend Eamonn, who's also in Paris for a movie. They haven't seen each other since they broke up." The latter replaces Jerrod Carmichael, who "had to depart the project ahead of filming due to scheduling conflicts." (Deadline.com)
LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME (NBC) - Ellen Burstyn will reprise her Emmy-winning "Law & Order: SVU" role of Bernadette Stabler, mother of Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni), in an upcoming episode of the spin-off series. (Deadline.com)
LOVE AND DEATH (HBO Max) - Keir Gilchrist, Elizabeth Marvel and Tom Pelphrey are the latest bound for the limited series. Gilchrist will play Pastor Ron Adams; with Marvel as Pastor Jackie Ponder; and Pelphrey as Don Crowder. (Deadline.com)
NEON MACHINE (Amazon) - Scooter Braun's SB Projects has extended its first-look deal with Amazon, home to the project from writer/director Jason Kim. (Variety.com)
POST GUARD, THE (FOX, New!) - Thomas Lennon has scored a presentation order from the network for an animated comedy "following the rag tag crew of humans, turtles, seals and mermaids at the secretive, and often overlooked mashup of the Coast Guard and Post Office, as they scour the high seas to find and deliver messages in bottles, while settling who among them is in charge of the ship's menial tasks, like resetting the WiFi." Peter Principato will also executive produce for FOX Entertainment and Bento Box Entertainment. (Variety.com)
REBOOT (Hulu, New!) - Keegan-Michael Key and Johnny Knoxville are attached to star in a new comedy pilot at the streamer "inspired by the recent wave of comedy revivals, when Hulu reboots an early 2000s family sitcom, its dysfunctional cast is forced back together and now must deal with their unresolved issues in today's fast-changing world." Steve Levitan and John Enbom penned the half-hour with Danielle Stokdyk also executive producing for 20th Television. (Deadline.com)
REGINALD THE VAMPIRE (Syfy, New!) - Jacob Batalon is set to star in a new 10-episode series at the cable channel based on author Johnny B. Truant's "Fat Vampire" series: "The series revolves around an unlikely hero, Reginald Baskin (Batalon) who tumbles headlong into a world populated by beautiful, fit and vain vampires as an unlikely hero who will have to navigate every kind of obstacle - the girl he loves but can't be with, a bully manager at work and the vampire chieftain who wants him dead. Fortunately, Reginald discovers he has a few unrecognized powers of his own." Writer Harley Peyton and director Jeremiah Chechik are behind the project with Todd Berger and Lindsay Macadam also executive producing for Great Pacific Media and Modern Story Company. Julile DeCresce is a co-executive producer. (THR.com)
SAG HARBOR (HBO Max, New!) - Daniel "Koa" Beaty is looking to bring Colson Whitehead's novel to the small screen at the streaming service: "Set in 1985, Sag Harbor tells the story of Benji Cooper, one of the few Black students at an elite prep school in Manhattan. Every summer, Benji escapes to the Hamptons, to Sag Harbor, where a small community of African American professionals have built a world of their own." Koa and Whitehead will executive produce alongside Katie O'Connell Marsh of Boat Rocker Studios, and Laurence Fishburne and Helen Sugland of Cinema Gypsy Productions. (Deadline.com)
SERPENT QUEEN, THE (Starz) - Raza Jaffrey has been cast in the Samantha Morton-led drama as Francois Guise. No other specifics were given. (Deadline.com)
STAIRCASE, THE (HBO Max) - Justice Leak is slated to recur on the limited series as Tom Maher, "David Rudolf's (Michael Stuhlbarg) down-to-earth co-counsel." (Deadline.com)
SUCCESSION (HBO) - Ella Rumpf will guest on the upcoming third season in a yet-to-be-revealed role. (Variety.com)
TROPPO (IMDb TV, New!) - The streamer has acquired the first season of the upcoming Australian drama series starring Thomas Jane, "the story of Ted Conkaffey (Jane), an ex-cop falsely accused of committing a disturbing crime, who has escaped to hide away in the tropics of Far North Queensland. As he tries to avoid discovery, he's drawn into investigating a wild murder and a missing person, alongside a complicated woman, with dark secrets of her own." The project, based on Candice Fox's novel "Crimson Lake," comes from Renegade Entertainment, EQ Media Group, Beyond Entertainment and AGC Television. Jane, writer Yolanda Ramke, Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz, Greg Quail, Lisa Duff, Simonne Overend, Mikael Borglund, David Ogilvy, Sally Riley, Andrew Gregory and Courtney Lauren Penn are the executive producers with Matt Bankston co-executive producing and Karl Zwicky producing. (Deadline.com)
UNCOUPLED (Netflix) - Neil Patrick Harris has signed on to star in the comedy series, which centers on Michael (Harris), "who thought his life was perfect until his husband blindsides him by walking out the door after 17 years. Overnight, Michael has to confront two nightmares - losing what he thought was his soulmate and suddenly finding himself a single gay man in his mid-40s in New York City." Filming is eyed to begin later this year in New York. (Deadline.com)
WESTWORLD (HBO) - Supervising producer Christina Ham has signed an overall deal with Universal Content Productions where she'll develop new series projects on an exclusive basis. (Deadline.com)
ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST (NBC) - Streamer Roku is finalizing a deal with Lionsgate Television for a new holiday movie based on the recently canceled Jane Levy-led series. It's understood should its metrics merit, said development could ultimately result in a new season at the streaming service. (Deadline.com)





  [august 2021]  
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M
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T
F
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· AMERICAN CRIME STORY (FX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DROPOUT, THE (HULU)
· IRMA VEP (HBO)
· LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME (PEACOCK)
· LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (NBC)
· LOVE & DEATH (MAX)
· NEON MACHINE (AMAZON)
· POST GUARD, THE (FOX)
· REBOOT (HULU)
· REGINALD THE VAMPIRE (SYFY)
· SAG HARBOR (HBO MAX)
· SERPENT QUEEN, THE (STARZ)
· STAIRCASE, THE (HBO MAX)
· SUCCESSION (HBO)
· TROPPO (FREEVEE)
· UNCOUPLED (SHOWTIME)
· WESTWORLD (HBO)
· ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST (NBC)





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