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[01/25/08 - 06:37 PM]
Development Update: Week of January 21-25
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!
FRINGE (FOX) - John Noble ("The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King") and Lance Reddick ("The Wire") have landed two of the principal roles on the drama pilot, about a young female FBI agent who is forced to confront the spread of unexplained phenomena and work with an institutionalized scientist whose work might be at the center of the coming storm. Noble is set as Dr. Walter Bishop, said scientist, with Reddick as Phillip Broyles, a special agent for Homeland Security who heads the special Fringe division. They join the previously cast Kirk Acevedo and Mark Valley. Production on the two-hour pilot is set to begin shortly with Alex Graves helming from a script by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The quartet also serve as executive producers alongside Bad Robot's Bryan Burk for Warner Bros. Television.
KATH & KIM (NBC) - Selma Blair is in talks to star opposite Molly Shannon in the comedy pilot, about the dysfunctional relationship between a mother (Shannon) and her daughter (Blair). Blair's character, Kim Day Fattibene, is further detailed in the casting notice as follows: "26-32, any ethnicity. Also attractive, but not on the same healthy path as her mother, Kim is oblivious to needing any fitness or life plan whatsoever. Although loveable and endearing, she is a drama queen, tends to sit on the couch a lot, self absorbed and a little spoiled. She carries a few extra pounds but still thinks she's the hottest thing around and resists her mother's advice on pulling her life together. She's just left her perfectly nice husband, Dennis, not for the first time, just because he shushed her at a ballgame. Kim - after moving back home - now fully expects her mom and best friend Debbie to drop everything and attend to her and is horrified to learn that her Mom has a boyfriend and a sex life." Michelle Nader is behind the Universal Media Studios/Reveille-based half-hour, which Paul Feig is directing. Nader and Rick McKenna also serve as executive producers alongside original Aussie creators Gina Riley and Jane Turner.
LEGALLY BLONDE (MTV, New!) - The cable channel is casting a potential new "Grease: You're the One That I Want"-esque series in which women ages 18 and older with vocal, acting and dancing skills compete for the role of Elle Woods in the Broadway production of the film franchise. Laura Bell Bundy plays said role in the current production, which opened in April and has grossed a little over $30.8 million to date, a performance of which was broadcast on MTV on October 13. Casting calls are set for the coming weeks in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Nashville and Orlando. No production details however have been confirmed.
S.I.S. (Spike TV) - Keith David ("First Sunday") has scored the lead role in the two-hour backdoor pilot, about a five-man elite secretive police unit within the LAPD that tackles major crimes and major criminals. He'll play Assistant Chief Joseph Armstrong who's detailed in the casting notice as: "50's-60's. The head of the S.I.S. unit, Armstrong is a righteous man with a crisp military bearing. A devout Mormon, Armstrong prides himself on believing in men who have lost belief in themselves, and Billy Beckett is his latest "adoptee". Believing that Billy is a great detective who has lost his confidence, Armstrong is willing to buck official disapproval in order to get another great detective on his squad, no matter the price. A tough-minded man who has to stop his determined squad members from using their covert status to execute assassinations, Armstrong is the moral center of the S.I.S. team." Omari Hardwick, Matt Nable, Peter Stebbings and Colleen Porch also star in the project, which comes from Sony Pictures Television and Neal Moritz's Original Film. John Herzfeld will direct the pilot from his own script as well as executive produce alongside Moritz and Vivian Cannon.
A VERY MERRY DAUGHTER OF THE BRIDE (Lifetime, New!) - Luke Perry, JoAnna Garcia, Helen Shaver and Kenneth Welsh are set to star in a Christmas-themed movie at the cable channel. The project, due in December, centers on Roxanne (Garcia), a twentysomething wedding planner who conspires with Charlie (Perry), the son of her mother Rose's (Shaver) new beau Jack (Welsh), to break up their parents' impending nuptials but an unexpected romantic development forces Roxanne to re-examine her feelings. Actor/director Leslie Hope ("24") is helming the project from a script by Scott Eastlick and Nadine Van Der Veld. Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev are producing for Nomadic Pictures.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[12/17/25 - 08:01 AM]
First Behind-the-Scenes Look at Netflix's "Mercenary: An Extraction Series," with Production Underway
The highly-anticipated series starring Omar Sy recently wrapped filming in Ireland and is resuming production in Morocco.
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[12/17/25 - 08:01 AM]
MGM+ and Prime Video Unveil First Look Images and Premiere Date for New Mystery Thriller Series "Vanished" Starring Kaley Cuoco and Sam Claflin
The four-part mystery thriller series will premiere on Sunday, February 1 in the U.S., Spain, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Latin America with a weekly release.
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[12/17/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Tell Me Lies" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Hulu
The new season follows Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White) as they've rekindled their tumultuous romance in time for spring semester at Baird College.
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[12/17/25 - 08:00 AM]
Season Three of the Critically Acclaimed Crime Drama "Gangs of London," Starring Sope Dirisu and Joe Cole, Makes Its Streaming Debut Thursday, January 15 on AMC+
In Season three, ex-undercover cop turned gangster Elliot (Dìrísù)?is now operating as a top-level criminal alongside the Dumanis, but their business is thrown into chaos when their shipment of cocaine is spiked, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians all over London.
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[12/17/25 - 07:41 AM]
ID's "The Curious Case of..." Returns with New Season of Bizarre and Unbelievable Stranger-Than-Fiction Stories
The new season will feature eight new episodes tackling bizarre, stranger-than-fiction cases filled with twists, turns, and shocking revelations through unprecedented first-hand accounts.
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[12/17/25 - 07:10 AM]
Family of Innovators Breathe New Life Into Rustic Spaces in "Maine Cabin Masters," Premiering December 29 on Magnolia Network
Builder Chase Morrill, along with Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge, his sister and brother-in-law, rebuild cabins in some of the most beautiful areas of Maine.
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[12/17/25 - 07:03 AM]
"The Year: 2025" to Air Monday, Dec. 29, on ABC, Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu
This two-hour special brings audiences an expansive look at the moments that shaped 2025 through the stories that sparked conversation, captured global attention, and defined our cultural landscape.
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[12/17/25 - 07:01 AM]
Paramount Affirms Commitment to Superior $30 Per Share All-Cash Offer for Warner Bros. Discovery
David Ellison, Chairman & CEO, Paramount said: "We remain committed to bringing together two iconic Hollywood studios to create a unique global entertainment leader."
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[12/17/25 - 06:42 AM]
Cricket Celebration Bowl Delivered Double-Digit Increases on ABC
Coverage averaged 2.3 million viewers with a peak of 3.0 million.
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[12/17/25 - 06:31 AM]
Netflix Unveils First Look at "Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole" Premiering on March 26, 2026
Step into the shadowy streets of Oslo, where nothing is as it seems and every clue draws you deeper into the city's dark heart.
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[12/17/25 - 06:00 AM]
"The Muppet Show" Returns with a Special Event, Feb 4. on Disney+ and ABC
Music, comedy, and a whole lot of chaos are bound to ensue when The Muppets once again take the stage of the original Muppet Theatre with their very special guest, Sabrina Carpenter!
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[12/17/25 - 05:01 AM]
Video: Paramount+ Releases Official Trailer for Original Series "Girl Taken" Launching Globally on January 8
Based on the novel "Baby Doll" by Hollie Overton, six-part psychological thriller follows the story of twin sisters Lily and Abby, whose lives are shattered when Lily is abducted from their quiet rural English town by beloved local teacher Rick Hansen.
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[12/17/25 - 04:05 AM]
Netflix Welcomes Warner Bros. Discovery Board Recommendation
"The Warner Bros. Discovery Board reinforced that Netflix's merger agreement is superior and that our acquisition is in the best interest of stockholders," said Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO.
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[12/17/25 - 04:01 AM]
Warner Bros. Discovery Board of Directors Unanimously Recommends Shareholders Reject Paramount Tender Offer
"Following a careful evaluation of Paramount's recently launched tender offer, the Board concluded that the offer's value is inadequate, with significant risks and costs imposed on our shareholders," said Samuel A. Di Piazza, Jr., Chair of the Warner Bros. Discovery Board of Directors.
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[12/16/25 - 09:31 PM]
Inside the Unseen World of Indian Customs: Netflix Reveals the Brave Heroics of the Customs Officers in Taskaree
"Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web" premieres January 14, only on Netflix.
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