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[03/11/10 - 12:14 AM]
Development Update: Thursday, March 11
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!
BETWIXT (The CW) - "7th Heaven" alum David Gallagher has scored a role on the drama pilot, about three teens (Allison Miller, Jessy Schram and another yet to be cast) who discover they're actually "changelings," the children of mythological fairies. He'll play Tim Bleeker, a fellow changeling that's known as a "cutter," one who's gone to the dark side. He's further detailed as having "a dark and slightly androgynous look about him that is both mysterious and sexy." Elizabeth Chandler is behind the hour, which comes from CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television. Christian Duguay is directing.
BODY OF EVIDENCE (ABC) - Sonja Sohn ("The Wire") has landed a role on the Dana Delany-led drama pilot, about Megan Hunt (Delany), "a tenacious medical examiner with a background as a neurosurgeon." She'll play Samantha Baker, one of the detectives who regularly works with Hunt, who's "eager and bright but used to taking the back seat." John Carroll Lynch also stars as her partner, Bud Morris. Geoffrey Arend, Jeri Ryan, Nicholas Bishop and Windell Middlebrooks round out the ensemble. Nelson McCormick is directing the hour for ABC Studios. Chris Murphey is the creator.
THE CAPE (NBC) - James Frain ("The Tudors") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Vince Faraday (David Lyons), a disgraced former cop who, inspired by his son's favorite comic book, becomes a masked hero named "The Cape" to clear his name. He'll play Peter Fleming, the Chairman and CEO of the Blackwater-esque Lynx Corporation, who moonlights as "Chess," a murderous villain. Chess is described as wearing a tight black mask in which only his freakish eyes - contact lenses bearing a rook and knight emblem - are visible. Dorian Missick also stars as Marty Voyt, a friend of Vince's who tries to recruit him to join Lynx's security forces. Tom Wheeler is behind the Universal Media Studios-based hour, which Simon West is directing.
CHAOS (CBS) - Stephen Rea ("Father & Son") has booked the final principal role on the drama pilot, about rogue CIA operatives who combat bureaucratic gridlock, rampant incompetence and political infighting. He'll play Director Higgins, the head of Clandestine Administration and Oversight Services (C.A.O.S.) who "approaches his job the same way a politician approaches a microphone - calibrating his every word." Carmen Ejogo, Eric Close, Freddy Rodriguez, James Murray and Tim Blake Nelson also star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which Brett Ratner is helming off a script by Tom Spezialy.
EDGAR FLOATS (ABC) - Raoul Trujillo ("True Blood") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about a police psychologist named Edgar Floats (Tom Cavanagh) who goes to work as a bounty hunter for his former father-in-law (Robert Patrick) and his ex-wife (Alicia Witt). He'll play Jesus, one of Edgar's fellow bounty hunters, who's regularly paired with another named Mason (yet to be cast). They are detailed as follows: "Mason looks like a big farm boy with a military hair cut and a big smile, Jesus looks like a big gangbanger with no smile." Derek Webster also stars in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, to be directed by Jace Alexander from a script by Rand Ravich.
KEEP HOPE ALIVE (FOX) - Shannon Marie Woodward ("The Riches") has been added to the cast of the comedy pilot, about Jimmy (Lucas Neff), "a 25-year-old single parent raising an infant with the help of his quirky family after the mother of the baby - with whom he had a one-night stand - ends up on death row." She'll play Sabrina, "a sharp waitress anointed by Jimmy as the perfect woman to help him raise his daughter." Olesya Rulin originated the role in the half-hour, which is also recasting Jimmy's unkempt cousin Mike. Kate Micucci played said character in the original pilot, which was originally conceived as a man. For the recasting, it's understood producers will revert the character back to male. Garrett Dillahunt and Martha Plimpton also star as Jimmy's parents with Cloris Leachman as his grandmother, Maw Maw. Greg Garcia is behind the 20th Century Fox Television-based comedy, which was helmed by Michael Fresco.
HAPPY ENDINGS (ABC) - Elisha Cuthbert ("The Forgotten") has booked the female lead in the comedy pilot, about a couple that breaks up at the altar, forcing them and their group of friends to figure out how to maintain their friendships after the split. She'll play Alex ("the type of girl guys write songs about"), the bride in question. Adam Pally, Casey Wilson, Damon Wayans Jr. and Eliza Coupe also star in the half-hour, which comes from ABC Studios and Sony Pictures Television. Anthony and Joe Russo are directing while David Caspe penned the script.
LUCK (HBO) - Richard Kind ("A Serious Man") and Ian Hart ("Dirt") are the latest additions to the Dustin Hoffman-led pilot, a drama set in the world of horse racing. Kind will play Joey Rathburn, a jockey's agent with a noticeable stutter. Hart then is believed to be set as Lonnie, "a loudmouth who comes into some cash and bankrolls a series of Pick Six bets." Dennis Farina, John Ortiz, Kerry Condon, Kevin Dunn, Nick Nolte and Tom Payne also star in the project, which comes from director Michael Mann and writer David Milch.
NIKITA (The CW) - Lyndsy Fonseca ("How I Met Your Mother") has scored a lead role on the drama pilot, a 21st century take on the "La Femme Nikita" franchise. She'll play Alex, a 19-year-old felon who - after being sentenced to 25 years in a federal penitentiary - is recruited by a secret government agency to hunt down the title character (Maggie Q), her predecessor. She's detailed as an "attractive, young, white female with virtually no personal ties or paper trail," a profile which is deemed ideal for their kind of work. Aaron Stanford, Melinda Clarke and Shane West also star in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which Danny Cannon is directing off a script by Craig Silverstein.
ONE MASS DANCE/SHED TO WED (The CW, New!) - The netlet is developing two new reality competition series. First up is "One Mass Dance," in which "choreographers go to three cities to assemble large dance teams, which then perform a 'mass dance' before an unsuspecting audience." Then there's "Shed to Wed," "a weight-loss series in which couples compete to lose pounds before getting hitched." Stone & Co. and Warner Horizon Television are behind the former while Mindcrime and 25/7 are behind the latter. No other specifics were given.
OUR SHOW (NBC) - Maria Thayer ("State of Play"), Lauren Weedman ("Hung") and Mahaley Hessam ("Easy A") are the latest to score roles on the presentation, a comedy about "a disparate group of people, led by brothers Mike (Nate Corddry) and Jack (Jonathan Sadowski), who begin making episodes of their favorite sci-fi show after it ends." Thayer will play "Jack's on-again, off-again girlfriend, who makes the costumes for the show"; while Weedman is set as "a self-destructive and overly dramatic waitress/wedding singer"; with Hessam as "a teen from a deeply religious Muslim household who is an encyclopedia of pop culture." Dan Bakkedahl and P.J. Byrne also star in the project, which comes from director Larry Charles, Warner Bros. Television and Wonderland Sound and Vision.
OUTSOURCED (NBC) - Rizwan Manji ("Better Off Ted") has booked a role on the comedy pilot, about a customer service manager in Kansas City (Ben Rappaport) who's sent to India to train his replacement when his department is outsourced. He's on board as Rajiiv Gidwani, the man's aforementioned replacement who's all too eager to get rid of him. Diedrich Bader and Jessica Gower co-star in the half-hour, which comes from Universal Media Studios, writer Robert Borden and director Ken Kwapis.
SHIT MY DAD SAYS (CBS) - Will Sasso ("MADtv") and Stephanie Lemelin ("Cavemen") have landed roles on the comedy pilot, about Henry (Ryan Devlin), a twentysomething who's forced to move back home with his outrageous dad, Ed (William Shatner). Sasso will play Henry's brother Vince who sells condos with his wife (Nicole Sullivan). Lemelin then is set as Sam, Henry's tomboy-ish best friend and former roommate. David Kohan, Justin Halpern, Max Mutchnick and Patrick Schumacker are all behind the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, which James Burrows is directing.
TRUST ME, I'M A GAME SHOW HOST (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet has ordered a pilot from Mark Burnett Productions ("Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?") for a game show in which contestants will have to figure out which of two hosts is telling the truth about the game they are playing. Burnett is executive producing the project alongside Monkey Television ("My Kind of Town"). No other format specifics were given.
UNTITLED DANA GOULD PROJECT (ABC) - Traylor Howard ("Monk") has scored the female lead in the comedy pilot, about a guidance counselor (Dana Gould) at a local high school and father to two young children, who is caught between his father's (Brian Dennehy) old school parenting beliefs and his wife's very progressive ideals. She'll play Dana's wife Julie, "a devoted wife, mother and professional, powered by self-confidence, yoga and lattes." Todd Stashwick also stars in the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, which was penned by Gould.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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