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[09/26/08 - 06:24 PM]
Development Update: Friday, September 26
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!
BUNKER HILL (A.K.A. MORSE CODE) (TNT) - The Donnie Wahlberg-led drama has been given a pilot commitment by the network. Wahlberg plays Mike Moriarty in the project, "a crime drama about a young war hero/Drug Enforcement Administration officer who works in his hometown of Boston." Walon Green and Jon Avnet are behind the Warner Horizon Television-based hour, which Avnet is directing from a script by Green. Wahlberg himself is also executive producing.
LIFE ON MARS (ABC) - Director Gary Fleder, who most recently helmed the pilots to ABC's "Finnegan" and "Life on Mars," has reupped his overall deal with sibling ABC Studios. Under the pact, he's developing an untitled hour with "Jericho" co-creator Jonathan Steinberg about a 25-year-old who becomes a senator. He'll executive produce the project via his Mojo Films banner alongside the company's development chief Mary Beth Basile. Earlier this week, Fleder signed on to direct The CW pilot "Light Years" from creator Liz Tigelaar.
THE NEW MCTOMS (FOX, New!) - Boyce Bugliari and Jamie McLaughlin (The CW's "Dash 4 Cash") are developing a new hybrid multi- and single-camera half-hour about a conservative matriarch who must face the reality of her three children marrying ethnically diverse spouses. The project is set up at Salma Hayek and Jose Tamez's ABC Studios-based Ventanarosa banner. Bugliari, McLaughlin, Hayek and Tamez then are executive producing the comedy, which has a script commitment from the network.
PROJECT RUNWAY (Bravo/Lifetime) - In a surprise move to all parties involved, a New York judge has granted a preliminary injunction on the Weinstein Co., temporarily barring the show's move from Bravo to Lifetime or marketing any such move. Said decision could derail the show's sixth season launch in January on Lifetime. Production nevertheless is continuing in Los Angeles. Lifetime inked a blockbuster five-year, $150 million deal with the Weinstein Co. back in April to acquire the series (read the story), which included 10 additional cycles of "Runway" (two 14-episode seasons per year) as well as spin-offs "The Models of Project Runway" and "Project Pygmalion" (14 episodes each) not to mention the broadcast rights to 70 Weinstein movies. NBC Universal subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Weinstein Co. claiming it didn't give NBC Universal-sibling Bravo proper notification that another party had made an offer for "Runway." The claim stems from a January 2007 agreement which reportedly gave Bravo the right of first refusal for any outside bid. In any case, Judge Richard Lowe III has ordered NBC Universal to post a minimum $20 million bond as part of the trial proceedings. A timetable on how the case will proceed is expected to be set in the next month.
TRUE BLOOD (HBO) - Mehcad Brooks, Todd Lowe, Deborah Ann Woll and Michelle Forbes have been named series regulars on the show's recently ordered second season. All four actors currently recur on the inaugural season - Brooks as Benedict "Eggs" Talley, a mellow, guitar-strumming refugee from a hard life; Lowe as Terry Bellefleur; Woll as Jessica; and Forbes as Maryann.
UNTITLED DAVID GUARASCIO/MOSES PORT PROJECT (FOX, New!) - "Aliens in America" alums Moses Port and David Guarascio have booked a new single-camera comedy at the network about a twentysomething man who starts taking a mood enhancer called Blisstilan and, after snapping out of his funk, takes a job at the pharmaceutical company behind the product. The man must now navigate working for his new boss, a high-powered female executive who boasts the nickname "The Velvet Hammer." No studio was listed as being attached. Port and Guarascio will pen the pilot and executive produce.
UNTITLED DOUG JUNG PROJECT (TNT, New!) - The cable channel is in final negotiations with Jerry Bruckheimer for a new drama pilot from creator Doug Jung ("Big Love") based on an original idea by Danny Cannon. The untitled hour, which Cannon will direct from a script by Jung, is described as a "character-based police drama that follows a squad of young undercover LAPD officers as they walk the line between doing their job and being seduced into the easy money and corruption of the crime world." Cannon, Jung and Bruckheimer then will executive produce alongside Jonathan Littman for Warner Horizon Television.
THE WONDERFUL MALADYS (HBO, New!) - Sarah Michelle Gellar ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") is set to topline and executive produce a potential new comedy at the pay channel about the dysfunctional lives of three adult siblings in New York who lost their parents at a young age. Feature writer Charles Randolph ("The Interpreter") is behind the half-hour, which he penned on spec last year. Gellar's character then is detailed as having "a kind of zealous immaturity - like a drug addict with a to-do list." It's understood HBO is fast-tracking the project to begin production early next year. Gellar and Randolph are executive producing alongside Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[08/15/25 - 09:33 AM]
Disney Branded Television Greenlights "Coven Academy" for Disney+ and Disney Channel
Set against the moody backdrop of New Orleans, "Coven Academy" follows a trio of teenage witches-in-training who are bound by destiny to guard their city against dangerous, ancient forces.
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[08/15/25 - 09:30 AM]
"Dance Moms: A New Era" Premieres on Lifetime Monday, September 8th
The reboot of Lifetime's pop culture phenomenon "Dance Moms" introduces beloved dance coach, Glo Hampton, who wants to take her students and prestigious dance school Studio Bleu to the next level, competing nationally every week.
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[08/15/25 - 07:01 AM]
Netflix Celebrates Mexican Cinema Day by Announcing the Production of More National Films
This Mexican Cinema Day, Netflix celebrates those who make it possible for our stories to reach the screen and announces a new selection of national films that will premiere soon, only on Netflix.
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[08/14/25 - 04:19 PM]
"The Traitors" Comes to NBC with All-New Civilian-Led Version of the Emmy Award-Winning Peacock Series Hosted by Alan Cumming
Instead of the guest list of celebrities and socialites, this time Emmy-winning host Alan Cumming is opening the doors to his now infamous castle in the Scottish Highlands to everyday people.
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[08/14/25 - 01:33 PM]
With 5 Million Cross-Platform U.S. Viewers in Its First Three Days, Sunday's Season Finale Episode of "The Gilded Age" Is the Fifth Consecutive Episode to Clinch a Series High
This season is well on track to become the most watched of the series.
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[08/14/25 - 12:31 PM]
NBC Sports Announces Its Complete 2025-26 NBA Regular-Season Schedule, Featuring 100 Games Across NBC and Peacock
All NBA games presented by NBC Sports will stream live on Peacock.
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[08/14/25 - 12:31 PM]
ESPN & ABC's Star-Studded 2025-26 NBA Regular Season Broadcast Schedule
Marking ESPN's 24th consecutive season broadcasting NBA games, the 2025-26 campaign promises to deliver the most star-studded schedule yet - underscoring ESPN's position as the premier national home of the NBA.
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[08/14/25 - 12:31 PM]
Prime Sports Unveils Inaugural 2025-26 NBA on Prime Schedule
NBA on Prime tips off with a doubleheader on Friday, October 24.
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[08/14/25 - 12:01 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - September 2025
Upcoming premieres include "Andrew Santino: White Noise" on Hulu; and "Cleopatra's Final Secret," "Dolphins Up Close with Bertie Gregory," and Top Guns: The Next Generation" on Disney+.
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[08/14/25 - 12:00 PM]
Prime Video Debuts New Stand-Up Comedy Special "Larry the Cable Guy: It's A Gift"
The one-hour special will premiere September 12 on Prime Video.
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[08/14/25 - 11:06 AM]
Magnolia Network Announces New Series, "The Last Wright: Building the Final Home Design of America's Greatest Architect"
The four-part limited series follows mother-daughter team Debbie Dykstra and Sarah Dykstra as they take on the ambitious challenge of building a home based on the last set of plans created by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright before his death in 1959.
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[08/14/25 - 11:04 AM]
Prime Video Orders "Joseph of Egypt" to Series Starring Adam Hashmi, Written, and Executive Produced by Craig Wright, From 5&2 Studios
In this iconic Old Testament story, betrayed by jealous brothers, Joseph (Adam Hashmi) defies all expectations and rises to incredible power in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. But when his past catches up with him, he is confronted with the ultimate test.
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[08/14/25 - 11:03 AM]
Boyd Holbrook Joins Omar Sy in the Upcoming Action Thriller Series Set in the "Extraction" Universe
The series comes from showrunner Glen Mazzara and is also executive produced by The Russo Brothers and Sam Hargrave.
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[08/14/25 - 11:00 AM]
Say Hello to the Supes of "Vought Rising" - A New Origin Story Set in the World of "The Boys" - In Production This Month
Prime Video unveils first looks at Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy; Mason Dye as Bombsight; Elizabeth Posey as Private Angel; and Will Hochman as Torpedo.
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[08/14/25 - 10:37 AM]
Lifetime Greenlights Season 2 of "Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out"
Production begins top of September on the new season.
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