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[03/11/08 - 05:37 PM]
Development Update: March 10-11
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!
DRIVING AROUND WITH JONI (HBO, New!) - Jhoni Marchinko ("Men in Trees") has scored a pilot commitment from the pay channel for a new comedy about an eccentric, successful 40-year-old widow who spends her days driving around Los Angeles with her French bulldog, looking for meaning in her life after the sudden death of her husband. The project was originally set up at Warner Bros. Television where Marchinko had an overall deal prior to its termination during the WGA strike. Marchinko then will pen and executive produce "Joni" while Warner Bros. will still retain a piece of the show but not be creatively involved.
ELEVENTH HOUR (CBS) - Marley Shelton ("Grindhouse") has been tapped as the female lead in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama pilot, about Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell), a special science adviser to the government who - with his feisty female bodyguard Rachel Young (Shelton) in tow - saves people from the worst abuses of science. Ashley Jensen originated Shelton's role in the U.K. version. Danny Cannon is directing the hour from a script by Mick Davis with the pair executive producing alongside Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman for Granada International and Warner Bros. Television.
HARPER'S ISLAND (CBS, New!) - Feature writer Ari Schlossberg ("Hide and Seek") has booked a pilot presentation order from the Eye and CBS Paramount Network Television for a new horror-themed drama that unfolds during the course of a season as a group of friends meet on an island off the Seattle coast for a destination wedding. "Jericho's" Jon Turteltaub is on board to direct and executive produce alongside his Junction Entertainment partners Karim Zreik and Dan Shotz. The latter pair then will serve as co-executive producers, as will Schlossberg.
MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL (CBS) - Josh Cooke ("Big Day") is set to star opposite Tim Peper in the multi-camera comedy pilot, about two best friends who own a bike shop and whose relationship becomes complicated when one (Peper) starts dating the ex-wife of the other (Cooke). Mike Sikowitz is behind the half-hour, which is set up at Sony Pictures Television.
THE SAINT (New!) - Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, Jorge Zamacona, Bill Macdonald, Roger Moore and Geoffrey Moore are set to team to produce an independently financed two-hour TV movie/backdoor pilot based on Leslie Charteris's famed novels about debonair international thief Simon Templar. Zamacona and Macdonald previously set up the project at TNT last season (read the story) but it didn't move forward. The rights subsequently reverted back to them, after which Fontana and Levinson came aboard. Nehst Studios is behind the project while James Purefoy ("Rome") in talks to topline. Production then is set to begin next month with filming in Budapest, Hungary, New York and Puerto Rico. Since the 1997 feature starring Val Kilmer, both UPN (director John McTiernan and producer ATG in 2000) and ABC (writer Stephen Nathan and producer FremantleMedia North America in 2004) have taken stabs at developing a new small screen take.
UNTITLED NICK LACHEY PROJECT (MTV, New!) - Nick Lachey is developing a "Fame"-esque reality series set at his alma mater, the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati. The untitled project then would track its students, blending their performances with a narrative about what takes place in the school. Marc Platt and Russell Heldt are executive producing alongside Lachey.
WORST WEEK (CBS) - Erinn Hayes ("The Winner") has landed the female lead in the comedy pilot, about a guy named Sam (Kyle Bornheimer) and his rocky relationship with the parents of his fiancee (Hayes) during a family holiday. Her character, Melanie "Mel" Cook, is further detailed in the casting notice as follows: "30. Sam's fiancee. She's a beautiful, warm woman who is unaffectedly striking, even when she's not wearing any make-up. Currently in her first trimester of pregnancy, Mel is throwing up on a regular basis and just trying to soldier on until she's feeling better. Very attached to Sam, she's hoping that his visit for Dick's birthday will sweeten up her parents and set the stage for their announcement of Mel's pregnancy and engagement. However, Sam's surreal string of blunders, gaffes and boneheaded misfortunes make it very hard for Mel to convince her folks that Sam is indeed Mr. Right." Jay Malone also stars in the half-hour, which comes from Universal Media Studios and executive producers Jimmy Mulville, Marc Buckland and Matt Tarses.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[10/11/26 - 11:45 AM]
Global Book Franchise "Artemis Fowl" Greenlit for Animated Television Series on Disney Channel and Disney+
Author Eoin Colfer announced the news during the "25 Years of Artemis Fowl" panel at New York Comic Con.
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[10/11/26 - 11:28 AM]
Meet Alex Holland When "The Rookie North" Premieres Wednesday, January 6 on ABC
Look for Season 9 of "The Rookie" at 9:00/8:00c followed by the debut of "The Rookie North" at 10:00/9:00c.
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[10/11/26 - 10:15 AM]
Tubi Announces Next Film in Continued Partnership with R.L. Stine with Adaptation of "The Babysitter"
Desperate to earn enough money for a prestigious writing program, sixteen-year-old Jenny takes a babysitting job despite a prowler terrorizing girls across town.
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[10/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: 2026 Netflix Holiday Trailer Week - Official Teaser - Netflix
Whether you're in the mood for a family story on four legs, a romance with security clearance, a Christmas miracle with a choir of legends, or a holiday déjà vu you can't shake - the holidays start on Netflix.
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[10/11/26 - 12:08 AM]
FOX Entertainment Global Accelerates Worldwide Expansion of Hit Survival Format "Extracted" with New Malaysia Production Hub
The new hub, where season three of FOX's U.S. network series just wrapped, combines one of the world's most dramatic natural survival environments with a specialized, state-of-the-art production ecosystem designed specifically for international format licensees.
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[10/10/26 - 04:45 PM]
Video: Prime Video Unveils New Trailer for "Blade Runner 2099" at New York Comic Con
All eight episodes will premiere on November 25, 2026, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
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[10/10/26 - 03:56 PM]
"Percy Jackson and the Olympians" Returns to New York Comic-Con with Walker Scobell on the Main Stage to Talk Season Three
During the panel, Scobell announced that season three will have a two-episode premiere on November 20, followed by two new episodes dropping each week on Disney+ and Hulu.
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[10/10/26 - 01:20 PM]
"Star Trek" Beams Into the Big Apple to Celebrate "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" and 60 Years of the Iconic Franchise at New York Comic Con
Bill Nighy and Rosemarie DeWitt will guest star in the upcoming season, which will premiere March 2027 on Paramount+.
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[10/10/26 - 09:30 AM]
"Bob's Burgers" Hulu-Exclusive Holiday Short to Premiere December 7
In "On the Fort Day of Christmas," a record-breaking Christmas snowstorm means one thing to the Belcher kids - a record-breaking Christmas snow fort.
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[10/09/26 - 05:00 PM]
Adult Swim's Acclaimed Animated Thriller "Common Side Effects" Returns January 24
The news was announced today at New York Comic Con by co-creators Joe Bennett and Steve Hely.
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[10/09/26 - 03:18 PM]
All Seasons of "The Walking Dead" Series Available on AMC+ for the First Time Ever, Beginning January 7
The pop culture phenomenon, which launched a television franchise, joins AMC+'s "The Walking Dead Universe" Collection, including all six spin-off series, totaling 371 episodes, as well as exclusive specials, bonus episodes, behind-the-scenes content, Comic-Con panels and more.
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[10/09/26 - 03:02 PM]
News from AMC Global Media's New York Comic Con Panels
Highlights include premiere windows for the new seasons of "Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches" (Wednesday, December 30) and "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon" (February 2027).
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[10/09/26 - 11:15 AM]
Video: Prime Video Unveils Explosive Teaser and Premiere Date for New Original Series, "Bloodaxe" from the Creator of "Vikings"
All eight episodes will premiere Wednesday, January 20, 2027 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
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[10/09/26 - 09:14 AM]
Avatar Takes to the Stage at New York Comic Con - "Avatar: Seven Havens" Renewed for Books 3 and 4, New Animated Series "Avatar Kuruk: Wave of Chaos" Coming to Paramount+
In "Avatar Kuruk: Wave of Chaos" a rebellious teenage Avatar bucks thousands of years of tradition by choosing to learn the four elements through globetrotting adventures, staying one step ahead of his angry teacher, rowdy pirates, and chaotic spirits - all while helping the world in his own unique ways.
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[10/09/26 - 09:01 AM]
Season Two of "Little House on the Prairie" Wraps Production and Rounds Out Cast
Season two follows the next book in the series, "On the Banks of Plum Creek."
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