Breaking News - Development Update: Week of February 5-9

[02/09/24 - 11:55 PM]
Development Update: Week of February 5-9
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!

BEAR, THE (FX on Hulu) - The Emmy-award winning series will return for its third season in June, keeping with its annual binge drop date. (Deadline.com, 2/9)

BEL-AIR (Peacock) - Vic Mensa and Alycia Pascual-Peña will recur on the upcoming second season as Quentin and Amira, respectively. No other character details were released. (Deadline.com, 2/8)

BLOOD & WATER (Netflix) - Wanda Banda has joined the cast of the upcoming season, due on March 1. No details about her character were given. (Deadline.com, 2/9)

BURNING GIRLS, THE/CHEMISTRY OF DEATH/DOLL FACTORY, THE/FLATSHARE, THE/KILLING KIND, THE/ONE NIGHT/SERIAL KILLER'S WIFE, THE (Paramount+) - The streamer has pulled all seven of the aforementioned international originals from its service. It's also understood second seasons of "The Flatshare" and "Chemistry of Death" are "not expected to materialize." The report indicates the decisions are part of Paramount's "strategy shift to favoring its Hollywood-style content, and wider cost-savings efforts." Newcomer "Insomnia" starring Vicky McClure and a second season of "Last King of the Cross" however are still moving forward. None of said series were made available in the U.S. (Deadline.com, 2/5)

CRIMINAL MINDS: EVOLUTION (Paramount+) - Ryan-James Hatanaka's Tyler Green will return as a regular for the series' second season. (Deadline.com, 2/6)

DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN (Disney+) - Genneya Walton has been cast in the revival series as "a young journalist with connections to a character from the original series." (Deadline.com, 2/6)

FIGHT NIGHT: THE MILLION DOLLAR HEIST (Peacock) - Marsha Stephanie Blake is the latest addition to the limited series as Delores Hudson, "JD's (Don Cheadle) wife and a social worker fighting for her community." Also cast in unspecified roles are Chloe Bailey, Melvin Gregg, Artrece Johnson, Jalyn Hall, Clifton Powell and Lori Harvey. (Deadline.com, 2/8, Variety.com, 2/8)

FOUNDATION (Apple TV+) - Production on the series' third season has been postponed due to "issues with budgeting and physical production." Filming has been completed on "about a third" of the season. (Deadline.com, 2/6)

GAME OF THRONES AEGON'S CONQUEST PROJECT (HBO, New!) - Mattson Tomlin is spearheading the latest proposed spin-off of George R.R. Martin's "Game of Thrones", which "is basically a direct prequel to the hit House of the Dragon, telling the story of the Targaryen's bloody and brutal conquest of Westeros. The story follows the invader Aegon Targaryen, who conquered the continent of Westeros with his sister wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, and their dragons. Aegon successfully unified six of the Seven Kingdoms in just two years, with only Dorne able to successfully resist." No other details were given. (THR.com, 2/8)

HOUSE OF FLOWERS, THE (Netflix) - Creator Manolo Caro has signed a multiyear first-look deal with Onyx Collective. The pact gives the company first crack at Woo Films' output, his banner with Rafael Ley and Maria Jose Cordova. (Deadline.com, 2/9)

JUDY JUSTICE (Freevee) - Sox Entertainment has cleared the syndicated run of the series on local stations covering 95% of the US for a fall 2024 launch. (Deadline.com, 2/8)

LAST FRONTIER, THE (Apple TV+) - Haley Bennett and Dominic Cooper will both join Jason Clarke in the upcoming drama. Bennett plays Sidney, "a CIA Agent who is tasked with working with Frank"; while Cooper portrays Havlock, "a former Navy Seal and fugitive who is being hunted by US Marshals and the CIA." (Deadline.com, 2/7)

MATLOCK (CBS) - Beau Bridges is set to recur on the reboot series as Senior, "the firm's managing partner who has an indomitable presence that immediately alters the temperature of any room. The man's influence reaches far and wide, and although he loves his son, Julian (Jason Ritter), he might respect his daughter-in-law, Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), more." The actor will take over from Jamey Sheridan, who played said role in the original pilot. (Deadline.com, 2/8)

MONSTERS: THE LYLE AND ERIK MENENDEZ STORY (Netflix) - The second installment of the true-crime anthology series has cast Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth; Dallas Roberts as Jerome Oziel; Jason Butler Harner as Les Zoeller; Enrique Murciano as Carlos Baralt; Michael Gladis as Tim Rutten; Drew Powell as Tom Linehan; Charlie Hall as Craig Cignarelli; Gil Ozeri as William Vicary; Jeff Perry as Peter Hoffman; Tessa Auberjonois as Laurel Oziel; Tanner Stine as Perry Berman; Larry Clarke as Brian Andersen; Jade Pettyjohn as Jamie Pisarcik; and Marlene Forte as Marta Cano. (Deadline.com, 2/5, Deadline.com, 2/8)

NOT DEAD YET (ABC) - Chelsea Handler and Marla Gibbs will both guest on the show's new season. Handler will play Sharon Darynson, "the owner of the rival news station to the SoCal Independent and the long-time nemesis to Duncan Rhoades (Brad Garrett). While everyone else runs in fear of Duncan, Sharon refuses to be intimidated by him." And Gibbs, real-life mother to Angela E. Gibbs's Cricket, "will play Cricket's mother, Nana Sugar, who becomes one of Nell's (Gina Rodriguez) obituary subjects. Nana ran a successful cookie empire and would never divulge her secret ingredient to anyone, except Nell." (Variety.com, 2/7)

QUIZ WITH BALLS (FOX, New!) - The network has commissioned a new game show which "pits brains against balls combining a high-stakes quiz show with a large-scale physical competition. Each episode features two families competing for $100,000 in a 'battle of the balls.'" John De Mol, Anthony Carbone, Maarten Meijs, Chris Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Wes Dening and John Leahy are the executive producers for Talpa Studios and Eureka Productions. (Deadline.com, 2/7)

RATCHED (Netflix) - The Sarah Paulson-led drama, originally picked up with a two season order, will not return for a sophomore run. (@ahszone, 2/4)

REAR WINDOW (Peacock, New!) - Kevin Williamson has signed an overall deal with Universal Television where his Outerbanks Entertainment already has four high-profile projects in development. Among the efforts are a TV series based on Alfred Hitchcock's classic film "Rear Window" at Peacock. Also in the works at the studio are series based on Ruth Ware's book "The It Girl" and David Fincher's film "The Game" as well as an original concept "The Waterfront." As for "Rear Window," Williamson will write the reimagining with Ben Fast, John Davis and John Fox also executive producing for Davis Entertainment and MKT Productions. (Deadline.com, 2/8)

RESIDENCE, THE (Netflix) - Giancarlo Esposito, Al Franken, Andrew Friedman and Julian McMahon are the latest additions to the Shonda Rhimes-produced series. Esposito will succeed the late Andre Braugher as White House Chief Usher A.B. Wynter; with Franken as Aaron Filkins, "the senior senator from Washington state"; Friedman as Irv Samuelson, "director of the National Park Police"; and McMahon as Stephen Roos, "the prime minister of Australia." (Deadline.com, 2/7)

S.W.A.T. (CBS) - Kenneth "Kenny" Johnson's Dominique Luca and Alex Russell's Jim Street won't return as regulars for the series' 13-episode final season. Nonetheless, both will appear on a recurring basis with showrunner Andrew Dettmann assuring the characters will get "their proper curtain call." (TVLine.com, 2/9)

SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE (Amazon, New!) - Felicia Pride is looking to bring Tia Williams's novel to the small screen as a TV series at the streamer about "a single mom and bestselling erotica writer who is feeling pressed from all sides." Both will also executive produce alongside Will Packer and Sabrina Wind for Honey Chile and Will Packer Media with Ivy Grant as a consultant. (Deadline.com, 2/6)

SO HELP ME TODD (CBS) - Heather Morris and Sandra Bernhard have scored roles on the new season. Morris will recur as Judy Maxon, "a gift shop clerk in Todd and Margaret's office building. She has unusual ideas about the world, and has her sights set on Todd." And Bernhard guests as Belinda Tuttle, "the "Queen of Courts", an unscrupulous, ambulance chasing attorney, specializing in slips-n-falls, personal injury, and working the court system to her financial advantage. She is the "anti-Margaret."" (Deadline.com, 2/7)

TERMINAL LIST, THE: DARK WOLF (Amazon) - Luke Hemsworth will recur on the prequel series as Jules Landry, "a self-obsessed CIA contractor who hides a dangerously volatile personality beneath his muscled veneer." (Deadline.com, 2/8)

TOO MUCH (Netflix) - Emily Ratajkowski is on track to star opposite Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe in the upcoming drama as "Felix's ex-girlfriend Polly, who is described as the exact opposite of Jessica." (Variety.com, 2/6)

UNTITLED STERLING K. BROWN PROJECT (Hulu) - James Marsden, Julianne Nicholson and Sarah Shahi have all signed onto the Sterling K. Brown-led drama series. Marsden will play the President; with Nicholson's as "a political force/power player behind the scenes"; and Shahi as "a therapist to those in power with secrets of her own." The exact details the project remain under wraps. Brown, Dan Fogelman, Jess Rosenthal, John Hoberg, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra and Steve Beers are the executive producers for 20th Television. (Deadline.com, 2/8)

WHITE LOTUS, THE (HBO) - Scott Glenn and Julian Kostov are the latest actors bound for the series' third season. No details were given about their roles other than Kostov is replacing Milos Bikovic. (Deadline.com, 2/6, Deadline.com, 2/7)

WYNONNA EARP: VENGEANCE (Tubi, New!) - The streamer has commissioned a 90-minute special based on the 2016-21 Syfy series which "will catch up with the Wynonna Earp characters some time after the end of season four." Melanie Scrofano (Wynonna herself), Tim Rozon (Doc Holliday), Dom Provost-Chalkley (Waverly Earp) and Katherine Barrell (Nicole Haught) are among those reprising their roles. Creator Emily Andras penned the script with Paolo Barzman slated to direct. Filming is set to begin soon in Calgary for a late 2024 premiere. (VanityFair.com, 2/8)

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