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[05/31/24 - 11:41 PM]
Development Update: Week of May 27-31
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!
300 (New!) - Warner Bros. Television is in early development on a prequel TV series based on Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's comic-book-turned-film-franchise in which "Leonidas, the king of Sparta, leads a small force of elite soldiers against the much larger army of Xerxes I of Persia." No plot details or a writer were given. Zack Snyder is in talks to direct and executive produce alongside Deborah Snyder, Wesley Coller, Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton and Bernie Goldmann for his Stone Quarry banner. (Variety.com, 5/31)
BAND (Amazon, New!) - Writer/director Daniel Barnz has scored a pilot order for a new drama at Amazon MGM Studios with John Benjamin Hickey, Miguel Angel Garcia, Lynley Eilers, Alex Fitzalan, Henry Hunter Hall and Chanté Adams already cast: "Band is a diverse ensemble of passionate teens who navigate the chaos of adolescence while finding unity and belonging in their school's marching band. Star player Axel (Garcia), his fiercely loyal best friend Sasha (Eilers), sexy newcomer Simon (Fitzalan), heartthrob drummer Evan (Hall), friends, and lovers march under the watchful eye of their fearless leader Cole (Hickey) and his right-hand Zadie (Adams). As the adults navigate their personal lives and school politics while hiding secrets of their own, they will, alongside their students, ultimately confront their individual struggles and shared dreams. Amidst the highs and lows of coming of age in the 21st century, our teens will learn that their greatest strength lies in embracing differences, forging an unbreakable bond of chosen family and finding a hopeful tune of unity in a world of contrasts." Ben Barnz of We're Not Brothers and David Stone of TFC Productions also executive produce. (Deadline.com, 5/29)
CHELSEA DETECTIVE, THE (Acorn TV) - Filming has begun in and around London on a four feature-length episodes for the series' third season. (Deadline.com, 5/29)
CITADEL (Amazon) - Jack Reynor has joined the cast of the show's second season in a yet-to-be-revealed capacity. (Variety.com, 5/29)
CRIMINAL (Amazon) - Charlie Hunnam and Adria Arjona are set to topline the comic-book-turned-TV-series. He's set as Leo, "a brilliant master thief who sees all the angles, and specializes in plans with no guns and no violence. Like a chess player, Leo thinks three moves ahead. Other crooks think he's a coward, especially compared to his father Tommy, who went to jail for murdering the most feared man in the city, Teeg Lawless." And she'll play Greta, "a sharp-tongued top-level car thief and driver and the widowed mother of Angie. Ever since her husband died in a bank job gone bad, Greta has been battling with herself about how to escape the only life she's ever known - and the only place she's ever thrived. The problem is, she's good at this. She's looking for a big score, a lump of money she can use like a gun to shoot her and Angie out of this life and into another one." (Deadline.com, 5/31)
DEAD DROP (Max, New!) - Dan Goor is developing a new comedy series for the streamer and Universal Television: "A typical American family goes on vacation to Europe and accidentally gets sucked into the high-stakes world of international espionage." Goor will write and executive produce via his Dr. Goor Productions banner with Matt Milkovich as a producer. (Variety.com, 5/30)
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (Paramount+) - The streamer has "opted not to proceed with its live-action series based on Hasbro's wildly popular Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game franchise." The project received an eight-episode, straight-to-series order in January 2023. Said report adds, "the project will undergo a creative update before being taken out to other potential buyers, both production partners and platforms" with a new creative team. Rawson Marshall Thurber and Drew Crevello shepherded the original take. (Deadline.com, 5/30)
GREY'S ANATOMY/STATION 19 (ABC) - Jason George is reportedly on track to return to the parent series following the end of the spin-off project. (Deadline.com, 5/30)
HAVEN (Amazon) - Andrew Koji will recur on the upcoming drama as Daniel Yoshida, "a financial investigator who was brought on to help Rhys and Ellie with their investigation. The son of chip shop-owning immigrant parents, Daniel rose to riches when he became a high-flying investment banker at JP Morgan. But after becoming disillusioned with the unchecked privilege and dirty money that surrounded him, he gave it all up to work with the police on financial crimes." (Deadline.com, 5/30)
LANTERNS (Max) - James Gunn took to social media with the news that Chris Mundy, Tom King and Damon Lindelof are spearheading the DC Comics series adaptation. (@jamesgunn, 5/25)
LORD OF THE RINGS, THE: THE RINGS OF POWER (Amazon) - Nazanin Boniadi's Bronwyn won't return as a regular to the series' second season. (Deadline.com, 5/31)
MASCHI VERI (Netflix, New!) - Maurizio Lastrico, Matteo Martari, Francesco Montanari and Pietro Sermonti are set to star in an eight-part comedy series from Italy at the streamer "in which four alpha male friends in their forties find themselves facing their own prejudices and the paradigms of toxic masculinity in a world that is moving towards social and gender equality. Without losing themselves, they are forced to rediscover their place in society and their relationships." Thony, Sarah Felberbaum, Laura Adriani, Alice Lupparelli, Corrado Fortuna and Nicole Grimaudo also star while Furio Andreotti, Giulia Calenda and Ugo Ripamonti are the writers with Groenlandia's Matteo Rovere producing and Matteo Oleotto and Letizia Lamartire directing. (Deadline.com, 5/29)
MIRACLE DEPARTMENT, THE (FOX, New!) - Brendan McCarthy and Alex Kavallierou have sold a new drama to the network: "Based on a real Catholic organization, 'The Miracle Department' is a heartfelt, comedic, hour-long series about a brilliant, but disgraced, former FBI agent who joins forces with a quirky task force to hunt for genuine miracles." Marta Kauffman, Robbie Rowe Tollin and Hannah K.S. Canter will also executive produce for Okay Goodnight and FOX Entertainment Studios. (Variety.com, 5/31)
SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS, THE (Max) - Michael Hsu Rosen is the latest to recur on the new season as Brian, "a student at Essex College." (Deadline.com, 5/31)
SHARDS, THE (HBO) - Kristoffer Borgli is attached to direct and executive produce the proposed drama based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel of the same name. Ellis, Nick Hall, Brian Young and Kathleen McCaffrey are also among the executive producers. (Deadline.com, 5/28)
SUMMER HOUSE: MARTHA'S VINEYARD (Bravo) - The cable channel has "paused" the reality series after two seasons. The report notes: "The reality series has not been canceled, but a third season has not been greenlit for this year after two consecutive years." (Deadline.com, 5/28)
TALL PINES (Netflix) - Brandon Jay McLaren has been cast in the limited series in an unspecified role. (Deadline.com, 5/31)
TEMPEST (Hulu, New!) - The streamer will be the U.S. home to a new Korean spy thriller: "Set in modern-day Korea, it follows Munju, a high-flying diplomat and former ambassador to the U.S., as well as Sanho, an international special agent. Together, they set out to uncover the truth behind an attack that threatens the future stability of the Korean peninsula." Gianna Jun (also known as Jun Ji-hyun) stars as Seo Munju with Gang Dongwon as Sanho. Gang will also receive an executive producer credit. Kim Heewon is directing with Heo Myunghaeng co-directing and Chung Seokyung will co-write. (Deadline.com, 5/29)
THEY'LL NEVER CATCH US (Netflix, New!) - Jessica Goodman's novel - which "revolves around a small town's high school women's cross-country team and the secrets unleashed when its star runner is murdered" - is being developed for TV by the streamer. Goodman and Juliet Lashinsky-Revene are co-writing the adaptation and will executive produce for Blumhouse Television. (Deadline.com, 5/30)
UNDERVALE, THE (Netflix, New!) - Matt Roller has landed an adult animated comedy series at the streamer which "follows a single mother of two, who struggles to run a haunted hotel with the help of her estranged brother, who is now one of the ghosts and thinks the other ghosts have some pretty good ideas." Dan Harmon, Chris McKenna and Steve Levy will also executive produce with Erica Hayes as supervising director. (Deadline.com, 5/30)
UNPRISONED (Hulu) - John Stamos will recur on the upcoming season as Murphy, "a best-selling author and self-proclaimed 'family radical healing coach.' Murphy is a half-guru/half-reality star, cut to the chase type therapist who believes in telling people straight up what's wrong with them." (TVLine.com, 5/30)
UNTITLED OWEN WILSON PROJECT (Apple TV+) - Jamie Neumann and Mariana Treviño have both signed onto the Owen Wilson-led comedy series as Amber-Linn, "Pryce's ex-wife"; and Elena, "mother of the 17-year-old golf phenom," respectively. (Deadline.com, 5/31)
WE WERE LIARS (Amazon) - Wendy Crewson will recur on the E. Lockhart adaptation as matriarch Tipper Sinclair, "a study in contradiction - she's just as likely to be found perfecting a pie recipe as she is heading up a philanthropic board meeting. She was born into a life of extraordinary privilege and married accordingly, so her polish and poise is innate, but time and Pinot Grigio have softened her into the loving (but firm) matriarch she is today." (Deadline.com, 5/29)
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[02/27/26 - 01:28 PM]
Paramount to Acquire Warner Bros. Discovery to Form Next-Generation Global Media and Entertainment Company
The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is expected to close in Q3 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory clearances and approval by WBD shareholders, with a vote expected in the early spring of 2026.
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[02/27/26 - 12:30 PM]
The Jaw-Dropping Fifth and Final Season of Starz's Hit Drama Series, "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" Set to Premiere June 12
To date, the series has accumulated over 21 billion minutes viewed across all episodes and remains one of Starz's top-performing series.
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[02/27/26 - 09:12 AM]
Team USA Hockey Olympic Gold Medalists Hilary Knight, Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes to Appear Together on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Monday, March 2
The episode will also feature guests Nicole Kidman, Luke Thompson and a cooking demo by Chef Mario Carbone.
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[02/27/26 - 08:12 AM]
Paul Wesley Joins Season Three of Hit Apple TV Series "The Buccaneers"
Wesley will play the role as Frank, a mysterious but charming stranger who arrives into Nan and Mrs. St. George's world, turning it upside down.
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[02/27/26 - 07:31 AM]
Peacock to Exclusively Stream Focus Features' "Hamnet" Beginning March 6
Directed by two-time Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao, the film tells the untold story behind one of Shakespeare's most memorable works and celebrates the power of imagination and the creative spirit.
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[02/27/26 - 07:01 AM]
Prime Video Debuts First-Look Image of Ryan Hurst as Kratos and Callum Vinson as Atreus On Set of New Series "God of War"
The series is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions, and has received a two-season order.
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[02/27/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Netflix and Apple TV Join Forces to Stream Formula 1 Thrills
The entire new season of "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" is now on Netflix globally and Apple TV in the U.S.
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[02/26/26 - 08:46 PM]
"Dandelion": Netflix Adapts "Gintama" Creator Hideaki Sorachi's Debut Work into New Anime Series
Set within the Send-Off Department of the Japanese Angel Federation, Dandelion follows "Angels" Tetsuo Tanba and Misaki Kurogane as they scramble to track down Earthbound spirits - souls unable to move on and find peace - and gently guide them to pass on.
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[02/26/26 - 06:01 PM]
Video: "Still Shining" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After falling in love as teens, two young adults drift apart - only to reunite 10 years later and confront their heartbreak, growth and new challenges.
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[02/26/26 - 02:46 PM]
Netflix Declines to Raise Offer for Warner Bros.
"The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we've always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance's latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid," said co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters.
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[02/26/26 - 02:19 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Soars to Season High with Best Audience in Over a Year
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 157 consecutive weeks across all key measures.
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[02/26/26 - 02:08 PM]
Britbox Unveils Spring Slate with "The Lady" Starring Mia McKenna-Bruce; Premieres March 18
Other highlights include the return of "Hope Street" and the debut of "Mudtown."
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[02/26/26 - 01:36 PM]
Paramount Comments on Warner Bros. Discovery Board's Determination of Paramount's Proposal as Superior
David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount, said: "We are pleased WBD's Board has unanimously affirmed the superior value of our offer, which delivers to WBD shareholders superior value, certainty and speed to closing."
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[02/26/26 - 01:16 PM]
Warner Bros. Discovery Board of Directors Determines Revised Proposal from Paramount Skydance Constitutes a "Company Superior Proposal"
Under the terms of the Netflix merger agreement, this notice triggers a four business day period during which Netflix has the right to propose revisions to the Netflix merger agreement so that the PSKY proposal would cease to constitute a "Company Superior Proposal."
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[02/26/26 - 01:00 PM]
FOX Television Network Renews Hit Joel McHale Series "Animal Control" for Season Five
In addition, the first three seasons of the series are currently streaming on Netflix, and the show has been sold in territories around the world.
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