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[08/16/24 - 11:49 PM]
Development Update: Week of August 12-16
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!


ALL'S FAIR (Hulu) - Star/executive producer Kim Kardashian has signed a first-look deal with the show's producer, 20th Television. (Deadline.com, 8/14)
ASSASSIN, THE (Max, New!) - Matthew Fox is attached to star in a new drama at the streamer which "centers on a merciless assassin known only as Victor (Fox), who after being betrayed by an anonymous client, finds himself hunted across the globe by multiple enemies, including relentless CIA operatives and a contract killer equally as deadly. To stay alive, Victor must uncover the identity of his betrayer while grappling with a buried spark of humanity that begins to resurface within him and might just be the greatest threat to his survival." John Glenn is behind the project, which is based on the book series by Tom Wood. All three will executive produce alongside Nicolas Atlan, Holly Brown, Geoff Shaevitz and William Choi for Gaumont and Entertainment 360. (Deadline.com, 8/14)
BOYS, THE/VOUGHT RISING (Amazon) - Executive producer Paul Grellong has signed a new two-year overall deal with producer Sony Pictures Television. (Deadline.com, 8/12)
BRIDGERTON (Netflix) - Yerin Ha has been cast as Sophie Beckett, Benedict Bridgerton's love interest, in the show's fourth season. (Variety.com, 8/16)
BUYING BEVERLY HILLS (Netflix) - The streamer has axed the reality series after two seasons. (Deadline.com, 8/16)
CHI, THE (Showtime) - Lynn Whitfield's Alicia has been upped from guest star to series regular for the show's seventh season. (Deadline.com, 8/12)
DANCING WITH THE STARS (ABC) - Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will return as judges for the series' 33rd season, as will co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro. (@@dancingwiththestars, 8/13)
DEXTER: ORIGINAL SIN (Showtime) - Amanda Brooks will recur on the prequel series as Becca Spencer, "Captain Aaron Spencer's (Patrick Dempsey) ex-wife who shares custody of their son, Nicky. Aaron Spencer is the Captain of the Miami Metro Homicide Department who has a decades-long relationship with Harry Morgan (Christian Slater)." (Deadline.com, 8/14)
FIRE COUNTRY (CBS) - Jared Padalecki has signed on for a three-episode arc on the series as Camden, "a SoCal firefighter and maverick with a surfer swagger who is a force to be reckoned with and immediately recognizes Bode's (Max Thieriot) raw talent." Said report suggests "there is a possibility for the guest stint to lead to a new spinoff headlined by him." (Deadline.com, 8/12)
FLAT TYRES (HBO, New!) - Thabo Rametsi and Robbie Leacock have sold a comedy series to the pay channel which "follows a hapless gang of four deluded friends as they endlessly try - and fail - to become criminal kingpins of Cape Town's most vibrant township." Nicholas Hatton, Jason Woliner, Matt Sadeghian and Geordan Somerville will also executive produce for Swindle Pictures, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Fifth Season. (Deadline.com, 8/13)
GHOSTBUSTERS ANIMATED SERIES (Netflix) - Elliott Kalan has been tapped to spearhead the animated small screen take on the current films. No plot details were released. Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan will also executive produce for Ghost Corps, Inc. and Sony Pictures Animation. (Variety.com, 8/12)
GILDED AGE, THE (HBO) - Bill Camp, Merritt Wever, Leslie Uggams and Lisagay Hamilton are bound for the show's third season. Camp will play JP Morgan, "who finds himself at odds with George Russell (Morgan Spector) over the future of the railroad industry"; with Wever as Monica O'Brien, "the estranged sister of Bertha (Carrie Coon)"; Uggams as Mrs. Ernestine Brown, "a friend of Elizabeth Kirkland and a member of the Black elite community in Newport"; and Hamilton as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, "the famed Black suffragist who inspires Peggy (Denée Benton) to become involved in her cause, in spite of the dissenting opinions of those around her." (Deadline.com, 8/12)
GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC) - Kali Rocha will reprise her role of Sydney Heron, last seen in season four, for at least three episodes on the upcoming season. Additionally, Scott Speedman's Nick will continue for to appear in at least five episodes this season. (Deadline.com, 8/12; Deadline.com, 8/15)
GROUP CHAT (Hulu, New!) - La La Anthony is attached to star in a comedy for the streamer based on her book, "The Love Playbook: Rules for Love, Sex, and Happiness." Kenya Barris is behind the project with Anthony, Kim Kardashian and Adam Kassan also executive producing for 20th Television, Khalabo Ink Society and BET Studios. (Deadline.com, 8/14)
MID-CENTURY MODERN (Hulu) - The multi-camera comedy pilot - which stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham and Linda Lavin - has been ordered to series. Lane and Bomer will also executive produce alongside David Kohan, Max Mutchnick, Ryan Murphy and James Burrows for 20th Television and Ryan Murphy Productions. (Deadline.com, 8/13)
MY LADY JANE (Amazon) - The streaming service has canceled the newcomer after one season. (Deadline.com, 8/16)
MY LIFE WITH THE WALTER BOYS (Netflix) - Becky Hartman Edwards has joined the series as an executive producer for its second season alongside Melanie Halsall and Ed Glauser. Additionally, Jason Priestley will return as a producer/in-house director. Recurring this season are Isaac Arellanes, Myles Perez, Alex Quijano, Ashley Tavares, Dean Petriw, Alix West Lefler, Lennix James, Alisha Newton, Ellie O'Brien, Kolton Stewart, Mya Lowe, Gabrielle Jacinto, Jesse Lipscombe, and Nathaniel Arcand. And finally, Zoë Soul's Hayley has been reclassified as recurring. (Deadline.com, 8/14)
NEIGHBORHOOD, THE (CBS) - Skye Townsend's Courtney, Marty Butler's (Marcel Spears) partner, has been promoted to regular for the comedy's upcoming season. (Variety.com, 8/14)
PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS (Disney+) - Timothy Simons is slated to recur as Tantalus on the upcoming season, described as "sardonic, manipulative, openly hostile, and rarely in a good mood... seeing as he is cursed with eternal hunger and thirst, but can never eat or drink. Tantalus has been released from imprisonment in the Underworld to become the interim Activities Director at Camp Half-Blood, having replaced Chiron (Glynn Turman) who is under suspicion of having ties to Kronos." (Variety.com, 8/15)
PITT, THE (Max) - The Noah Wyle-led medical drama has cast the following actors to recur in yet-to-be-revealed roles: Shawn Hatosy, Michael Hyatt, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Brandon Mendez Homer, Kristin Villanueva, Amielynn Abellera, Alexandra Metz, Krystel V. McNeil and Deepti Gupta. (Deadline.com, 8/14)
RECRUIT, THE/ROOKIE, THE (Netflix/ABC) - Executive producer Alexi Hawley has signed a new overall deal with Lionsgate Television. (Deadline.com, 8/12)
SAN FUERTE (Amazon, New!) - Shepard Boucher has sold a single-camera comedy to Amazon MGM Studios: "In it, Ben Schreiber is an American journalist who's sent to the Latin American island nation of San Fuerte to interview its enigmatic dictator, Emilio San Juan. While there, Ben discovers the shocking truth: Emilio is his father, and he has no intention of letting him go home..." Aaron Kaplan of Kapital Entertainment will also executive produce. (Deadline.com, 8/15)
UNTITLED RENEE BALLARD BOSCH SPIN-OFF PROJECT (Amazon) - The Maggie Q-led spin-off series has cast Michael Mosley as Ted Rawls, "a reserve officer who has reluctantly been assigned to cold cases to keep an eye on Ballard"; Rebecca Field as Colleen Hatteras, "an enthusiastic and eccentric volunteer who believes her "intuitions" could help solve cases"; Victoria Moroles as Martina Castro, "a sharp legal intern eager to prove her worth to the department"; and Amy Hill as Tutu, "Ballard's spunky grandma and biggest source of support." (Deadline.com, 8/13)
UNTITLED RIZ AHMED PROJECT (Amazon) - Guz Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Aasiya Shah, and Sajid Hasan have all scored roles on Riz Ahmed's half-hour series. No character details however were given. (Variety.com, 8/14)
WICKED TUNA (NGC) - The cable channel has canceled the series after 13 seasons. "After thirteen seasons on the high seas and more than 200 incredible episodes, the long-running series 'Wicked Tuna' has concluded its run on National Geographic," it said in a statement. "The series celebrated one of America's oldest industries since first premiering on National Geographic in 2012 and made internationally recognizable stars out of the intrepid commercial fishermen who brave the unrelenting North Atlantic waters to catch the elusive bluefin tuna. As we reflect on 13 great seasons and 200+ episodes, our appreciation for our production partners at Pilgrim Media Group, our cast and crew, the Gloucester community and the show's dedicated fans is hard to put into words. It has been an incredible journey together and there are only two words that seem to fit the moment: Thank You." (Variety.com, 8/16)





  [august 2024]  
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· ALL'S FAIR (HULU)
· ASSASSIN, THE (MAX)
· BAIT (AMAZON)
· BALLARD (AMAZON)
· BOYS, THE (AMAZON)
· BRIDGERTON (NETFLIX)
· BUYING BEVERLY HILLS (NETFLIX)
· CHI, THE (SHOWTIME)
· DANCING WITH THE STARS (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DEXTER: ORIGINAL SIN (SHOWTIME)
· FIRE COUNTRY (CBS)
· FIRE COUNTRY: SURFSIDE (CBS)
· FLAT TYRES (HBO)
· GHOSTBUSTERS ANIMATED SERIES (NETFLIX)
· GILDED AGE, THE (HBO)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· GROUP CHAT (HULU)
· MID-CENTURY MODERN (HULU)
· MY LADY JANE (AMAZON)
· MY LIFE WITH THE WALTER BOYS (NETFLIX)
· NEIGHBORHOOD, THE (CBS)
· PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS (DISNEY PLUS)
· PITT, THE (HBO MAX)
· RECRUIT, THE (NETFLIX)
· ROOKIE, THE (ABC)
· SAN FUERTE (AMAZON)
· VOUGHT RISING (AMAZON)
· WICKED TUNA (NGC)





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