LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:
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18 TO LIFE (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet is teaming with Canadian broadcaster CBC for a new single-camera comedy about two 18-year-olds who - on a dare - shock their families and friends by getting married. Derek Schreyer ("The Murdoch Mysteries") and Karen Troubetzkoy ("15/Love") are behind the half-hour, which features Stacey Farber ("Degrassi: The Next Generation") and Michael Seater ("Life With Derek") as the teen couple. Alchemy Television ("Flashpoint") orchestrated the pact for the potential series, which also stars Peter Keleghan, Al Goulem, Ellen David, Angela Asher, Jesse Rath, Tilo Horn, Tommie-Amber Pirie and Ariel Shiri. Peter Wellington ("Slings and Arrows") is attached to helm the pilot with Ian Whitehead producing for Montreal�s Galafilm. The news marks the first half-hour primetime comedy simultaneously developed for U.S. and Canadian network audiences.
CSI: NY (CBS) - Entertainment Weekly reports that rapper/actor Nelly has booked a multi-episode arc on the drama. He'll play a club owner who serves as a confidential informant to Mac (Gary Sinise) and his team. "He's a great actor," executive producer Pam Veasey told the publication. "He really stepped up." Said report adds that Maroon 5 will make a cameo in this season's second episode, due on October 1.
DO NOT DISTURB (FOX) - Dave Franco ("Greek") has joined the cast of the freshman comedy. He'll play Gus, a roadie for a rock band who gets deserted at the hotel and taken in by the gang. He'll presumably turn up in the show's second episode.
MY OWN WORST ENEMY (NBC) - Cierra Ramirez ("The Suite Life of Zack and Cody") is the latest addition to the upcoming drama, about Henry (Christian Slater), a mild-mannered suburban dad whose alter ego, Edward, is a suave spy. She'll play Ruthy Spivey, who's detailed in the original casting notice as follows: "4, talkative. She is Henry and Lily's daughter who thinks "it sucks" that her brother Dash hasn't been sent on the field yet during his soccer game." Alfre Woodard, Mike O'Malley, Saffron Burrows and Yara Martinez also star in the Universal Media Studios-based hour. David Semel is helming the pilot from a script by Jason Smilovic.
STUDIO (Showtime, New!) - "Runaway" creator Chad Hodge and "Hairspray" producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are set to team for a new drama at the cable channel centering on the iconic New York nightclub Studio 54. The project is set up at Media Rights Capital with Bryan Singer ("Superman Returns") in talks to direct should his schedule permit. As for specifics, "Studio" centers on flamboyant co-founder Steve Rubell and starts off in the months leading to the club's April 1977 opening. The hour however won't be a biopic or docudrama as the rest of the characters are fictional or composites. Hodge, Zadan and Meron will executive produce via the latter pair's Storyline Entertainment. Singer then would also executive produce alongside Alex Garcia should he come aboard.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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