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[06/13/08 - 05:14 PM]
Development Update: Friday, June 13
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!
24 (FOX) - Jon Voight has been tapped for his first series role in nearly 40 years. He'll play the show's seventh season "big bad" that's introduced in the upcoming prequel event and subsequently turns up later in the actual season. Details about his character however remain under wraps. Production is underway in South Africa on the prequel, which is set to air on November 23. Voight's last TV series role was a three-episode arc on "Gunsmoke" in the late 1960s.
FOURPLAY (ABC) - Ayda Field ("Back to You") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about two men - Derek (Josh Cooke), who is straight, and Drew (Alan Tudyk), who is gay - who are lifelong best friends and business partners. She'll take over for Sarah Lafleur as Audrey, Derek's stylish but emotionally messy girlfriend. Said recasting was made following the pilot's table read. It's understood Lafleur will move onto another ABC project as a result of her talent deal with the network. Rizwan Manji and fellow "Back to You" alum Ty Burrell also star in the half-hour, which comes from Warner Bros. Television and co-creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick.
LAPD (NBC, New!) - John Wells has booked his first post-"ER" project, a drama centering on the Los Angeles Police Department. "ER" veteran Christopher Chulack is set to direct the project - which has a put pilot commitment from the network - from a script by feature writer Ann Biderman ("Primal Fear"). Wells, Biderman and Chulack then will executive produce via Wells's Warner Bros. Television-based banner.
SIT DOWN, SHUT UP (FOX) - The writers of the upcoming animated series have walked off the show in pursuit of WGA representation. Said event was reportedly the result of Sony Pictures Television informing them they were covered by the Writers Guild when if fact they had made arrangements with another union, IATSE. The news marks the latest spat over which union should cover primetime animation. Under IATSE, writers do not receive get new-media revenues or residuals of any kind - a key strike point for the WGA earlier this year. Nevertheless with Sony's animation division, Adelaide Productions, having a deal with the IATSE in place for the past 10 years, industry insiders suggest the "Sit Down" staff doesn't have much leverage. Nevertheless their rallying cry is that all the other FOX-aired/20th Century Fox Television-produced animated shows fall under the WGA umbrella. ("Sit Down" is a co-production with 20th however Sony is the production lead.) It's not clear how long production will be delayed on the series, which is being targeted for midseason, as the result of the walkout.
UNTITLED OFFICE SPIN-OFF PROJECT (NBC) - Aziz Ansari (MTV's "Human Giant") is the first to be cast on the much-ballyhooed spin-off. No details about his character however were released other than he'll be part of a larger ensemble. Greg Daniels and Michael Schur are shepherding the project, which remains a hot topic of speculation. It's not clear if any of the parent show's characters will be part of the spin-off or if the sibling characters will initially be planted in the mothership before heading to the new show. In any case, Ansari has inked a one-year talent deal with producer Universal Media Studios as part of his involvement while Tucker Cawley, Dan Goor, Paul Feig, Charlie Grandy and Alan Yang have been tapped to be part of the writing staff. And separately, "Office" alum Rashida Jones has likewise inked a talent holding deal with the studio - leading many to speculate about her involvement with the show - while Paul Lieberstein, who doubles as Toby on the show, has been upped to executive producer on "The Office" proper.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[06/08/26 - 10:55 AM]
Production Begins on Season Two of CBS' "Marshals" - The #1 New Broadcast Series
Produced by Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios, the series averaged 20.4 million multiplatform viewers for the first eight episodes.
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[06/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "The Bear" - Season 5 Official Trailer - Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach - FX
The final season premieres June 25.
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[06/08/26 - 10:00 AM]
Rocket, Groot, Mr. Fantastic and Silk Join "Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends" Season 5, Premiering July 13
This season will introduce a new "Rescue-Webs" story arc in which Team Spidey is able to tackle even more daring rescues with their new Spidey-themed firetruck and rescue gear.
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[06/08/26 - 09:16 AM]
"Lupin" Part 4 Will Premiere on October 23rd on Netflix
Omar Sy reprises his iconic role as Assane Diop, the gentleman thief, in these new eight episodes alongside Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Soufiane Guerrab, Shirine Boutella, Théo Christine and Laïka Blanc-Francard.
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[06/08/26 - 09:04 AM]
Chef Anna Gass Returns for Season 2 of "Instant Italian" Premiering Monday, June 29 on FYI Network
Season 2 of "Instant Italian" joins chef, cookbook author, recipe developer, and culinary influencer Anna Francese Gass back in the kitchen as she shares fresh takes on beloved Italian dishes.
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[06/08/26 - 09:03 AM]
ESPN Scores Second Most-Watched WCWS Finals on Record; Game 2 Delivers Most-Watched College Softball Game Ever
Game 2 averaged 2.5 million viewers across ESPN/ESPNU, delivering the most-watched college softball game on record.
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[06/08/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "The American Experiment" - Official Trailer - Netflix
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the new five-part documentary series The American Experiment reexamines the improbable achievement that was the nation's founding, and the radical question at the center of the revolution: Can a people govern themselves?
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[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
Roku Originals Celebrates the Greatest Women in Sports with "Gamechangers: America's Top 25 Female Athletes," Executive Produced by Sue Bird, Alex Morgan, and Peyton Manning
This hour-long special, which is the second iteration of Roku's "Gamechangers" anthology series, will feature interviews with star athletes, sports media voices, and celebrities, celebrating the legacy and impact of 25 of the greatest female athletes in American sports history.
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[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
BritBox Announces "Hercule," Starring Edward Bluemel as Agatha Christie's Legendary Detective Hercule Poirot
The series takes a magnifying glass to three of Christie's most celebrated stories, while also charting Hercule's burgeoning friendship with Captain Arthur Hastings, his early encounters with Scotland Yard's James Japp, and introducing him to one particular nemesis...
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[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Drops Official Trailer for High-Octane Series "Ride or Die" Starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham
A Paramount Television Studios and Amazon MGM Studios production, the fast-paced series will debut all eight episodes on Wednesday, July 15, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.
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[06/08/26 - 08:00 AM]
Video: New Teaser for "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland" Drops Down the Rabbit Hole, Debuting July 16 on Disney Channel and Next Day on Disney+
A new teaser was revealed today, along with the premiere date, poster art and casting news confirming that critically acclaimed actress and comedian Awkwafina will step into the twisted world of Wonderland as Chessy the Cat.
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[06/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
Meet Scooby-Doo! Netflix Reveals Live-Action Take on the Iconic Canine
This marks the first time in the Scooby-Doo franchise that the character of Scooby-Doo will be portrayed by a real dog.
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[06/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Disney's Andscape Debuts Trailer for "They Fight," Starring Andre Holland, Wendell Pierce, and Samira Wiley Ahead of the Film's World Premiere at Tribeca
The film follows a reformed ex-con who finds purpose mentoring young boxers at a Washington, D.C. youth gym as they pursue their dreams in and out of the ring.
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[06/08/26 - 07:00 AM]
National Geographic's Fin-Favorite Summer Event Returns with Even More Shark-Filled Fun, Kicking Off with Marquee Special "Hammerhead Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory
Additional fin-tastic programming will roll out throughout the month across Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Channel and Disney XD, with select titles also streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
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[06/06/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: New Teaser - Hulu Original Series "Rivals" Season 2 Return
The UK original returns this November on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, in the US and Disney+ internationally.
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