 |
 |
[03/11/08 - 05:37 PM]
Development Update: March 10-11
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!
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
|
|
|
 [march 2008]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[07/29/26 - 10:17 AM]
Official Key Art for FX's "The Drop: A Snowfall Saga" Now Available
The series follows "Snowfall" characters Wanda Bell (Gail Bean) and Leon Simmons (Isaiah John) as they fight to reinvent themselves in '90s Los Angeles, where the fallout from the crack epidemic is fueling a new game: the rise of West Coast rap.
|
[07/29/26 - 10:06 AM]
Bravo's "The Valley" Three-Part Reunion Begins Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
"The Valley" is averaging 2.1 million total viewers across platforms with season 3 ranking among the top 10 most-watched Bravo seasons of all time on Peacock.
|
[07/29/26 - 10:02 AM]
First Look & Date Announcement: "Chad Powers" Season 2
Season two returns with all episodes Thursday, September 3 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.
|
[07/29/26 - 10:00 AM]
CBS Announces "Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen 20th Anniversary Special," Airing Tuesday, Sept. 29
The groundbreaking comedy series created and hosted by Byron Allen honors its 20th anniversary with a two-hour primetime special that captures two decades of unforgettable laughs, candid stories and a celebration of the show's lasting place in the world of comedy.
|
[07/29/26 - 09:03 AM]
Starz and Crunchyroll Announce New U.S. Streaming Bundle Available on Prime Video
New customers can access both streamers for $16.99/month, a more than 23 percent savings.
|
[07/29/26 - 08:10 AM]
The Mystery Deepens: Prime Video Announces Casting for "Young Sherlock" Season Two
Olivia Williams, Indira Varma, Sophie Skelton, and Aidan Gillen join as series regulars.
|
[07/29/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Outer Banks" Season 5 - Official Trailer - Netflix
After losing one of their own, the Pogues chase revenge and redemption as they pursue a stolen artifact with the power to change their fortunes.
|
[07/29/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" - Season 18 Official Trailer - FX
Charlie, Mac, Dennis, Dee and Frank are more out of control than ever, taking on inheritances, automation, conspiracy theories, sobriety's cultural swing and chaos at Paddy's.
|
[07/29/26 - 07:01 AM]
Season 4 of Hit Docuseries "Betrayal," Based on the No. 1 True Crime Podcast, Begins Streaming Tuesday, Aug. 4, on Hulu
The three-part docuseries, "Betrayal: Dirty Secrets," spotlights the devastation and perseverance of a family when a shocking confession reveals how a husband and father had been abusing his position of authority to pursue a secret sexual life.
|
[07/29/26 - 06:43 AM]
FOX Sports Continues to Expand Horse Racing Coverage to Del Mar in New Multi-Year Deal
Beginning in 2027, FOX Sports will become the exclusive home of live television coverage from Del Mar, including the track's signature summer and fall meets.
|
[07/29/26 - 06:01 AM]
Graeme Thomas King Upped to Series Regular for MGM+'s "Robin Hood" Season Two
He'll reprise his role as Prince John, the cunning younger son of King Henry II whose ambition and shifting loyalties intensify the kingdom's growing power struggle.
|
[07/29/26 - 06:01 AM]
"American Idol" Renewed for Landmark 25th Season on ABC and Disney+
The search for a superstar begins when "American Idol" premieres next year on ABC and streams next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
|
[07/29/26 - 04:13 AM]
Video: "Meet the Owens" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
The six-part docuseries follows a year in the life of former England striker Michael Owen, his wife Louise, and their four children Gemma, James, Emily, and Jessica, as they juggle a horse racing business while contending with a chaotic home life.
|
[07/29/26 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Better Late Than Single: After Service" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Couple updates and love life tune-ups. Are the eternal singles back for another shot at love?
|
[07/28/26 - 04:30 PM]
"20/20 True Crime+" Subscription Channel Launches Today from ABC News Podcast Network and "20/20"
Subscribers will receive exclusive content and early access to new series ahead of the public releases, along with archival shows from the ABC News vault.
|
|
|
|
