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[12/26/08 - 06:43 PM]
Development Update: Week of December 22-26
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!
BITCHES (FOX, New!) - Feature writer Michael Dougherty ("Superman Returns") has scored a hefty script commitment from the network for a new drama about a quartet of female friends in New York who are werewolves. The project, which has a penalty attached should it not move forward to pilot, is set up at Warner Bros. Television. Writer/producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts ("Pushing Daisies") have been tapped to supervise Dougherty and executive produce. No other specifics were given.
GILMORE GIRLS (The CW) - One day after filing a lawsuit against CBS over "Two and a Half Men" (see below), Warner Bros. Television itself has been sued by producer Gavin Polone over "Gilmore Girls." The breach-of-contract lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims the vertically integrated Time Warner companies Warner Bros. Television and The WB "have colluded to defraud the originator of hit 'Gilmore Girls' television series with a scheme that rivals the greed and bravado of any story line defendants could script." Hofflund/Polone, Polone's company with Judy Hofflund, alleges the "modified adjusted gross," the money the show earns after costs are deducted, for "Gilmore's" first six seasons was modified by the studio - through "collusion among defendants to set below-market license fees" and a series of improper charges - which cut into Hofflund/Polone's profits as a result. A third-party audit commissioned by Hofflund/Polone in October 2006 alleges that number was understated by $45.5 million and the company has asked for "tens of millions of dollars" in damages as a result. Warner Bros. has yet to comment on the suit.
LOST & FOUND (NBC) - Australian actor Damon Herriman ("All Saints") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, which centers on Tessa Cooper (Katee Sackhoff), an offbeat LAPD detective who, after butting heads with higher-ups, is sent as punishment to the basement to work on John and Jane Doe cases. He'll play Anthony Yeckel, an oddball civilian consultant to the police's lost-and-found department who has an obsessive love of old detective TV shows. Brian Cox and Josh Cooke also star in the Universal Media Studios/Wolf Films-based hour, which Michael Engler is directing from a script by creator Chris Levinson.
TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS) - Warner Bros. Television filed a $49 million breach of contract lawsuit against CBS on Tuesday. Said suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims the network owes Warner Bros. additional fees toward the production deficit carried by the studio. The "deficit recoupment" was understood to be tied to "Men" hitting certain ratings milestones as specified by the show's original four-year license agreement signed in 2003. The suit indicates the studio incurred a $61.1 million deficit over the course of the first four years of the show (for instance CBS paid $750,000 per episode during "Men's" first season while Warner Bros. actual cost to produce the show came in at $1.22 million), a cost which CBS would cover should "Men" finish as a top 10 show. Additionally, should "Men" finish in the top five in its fourth season, CBS would pay an additional $650,000 more per episode in the fifth and sixth seasons (with a downward scale from there). "CBS has reaped the benefits of the tremendous success of 'Two and a Half Men" but wants to deny Warner Bros. the right to its agreed-upon share," Warner Bros. said in a statement. CBS countered with simply, "Wow, I wonder what they got the other networks for Christmas."
UGLY BETTY (ABC) - "Dexter" co-star Lauren Velez has booked a multi-episode arc on the Thursday dramedy. She'll play Elena, a nurse that enters the lives of the Suarez family, whom reports speculate will be linked to a major plot development. It's not clear when her first episode will air.
UNTITLED MARIA BELLO PROJECT (HBO, New!) - Maria Bello ("The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor") is set to topline a potential new drama at the pay channel about a woman who's forced into a life of crime to support her three teenage sons after her husband is killed. Gary Lennon ("The Shield") is penning the hour, which sees the woman using her sons as henchmen, leading them all down a destructive road. Bello herself will executive produce alongside Lennon, Gavin Polone and John Carrabino.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[05/05/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Harry Potter: The Official Film Podcast" Launches on May 19 on HBO Max and Major Podcast Platforms
The podcast offers a thoughtful rewatch experience that balances high-level film recaps with in-depth discussion of the moments that matter most by revisiting key sequences and themes and diving deeper into standout scenes, performances and creative choices.
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[05/05/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Boroughs" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In a seemingly perfect retirement community, a crew of unlikely heroes must stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don't have: time.
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[05/05/26 - 07:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Reveals Official Trailer and Key Art for "Kyle Larson vs. The Double"
Directed by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Cynthia Hill, the documentary will premiere May 21 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
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[05/05/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: "Countdown: Rousey vs. Carano" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Hit training camp with MMA legends Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano before they return to the cage for their must-see fight years in the making.
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[05/05/26 - 06:20 AM]
2026 Tony Award Nominations Announced
This year's Tony Awards will return to the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 7.
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[05/05/26 - 06:02 AM]
Video: "Brazil '70: The Third Star" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In 1970, facing doubt and immense pressure, Brazil took the pitch to redefine soccer forever.
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[05/05/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Kylie" - Official Trailer - Netflix
From soap star to superstar, Kylie's career has been full of twists, turns and spinning around - as she candidly reveals in this unfiltered documentary.
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[05/05/26 - 05:31 AM]
Video: "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Off the heels of cracking a cold case, Pip now awaits the trial. But a missing friend compels the good-girl-turned-detective to solve another mystery.
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[05/05/26 - 05:01 AM]
Netflix's "The One Piece" Premieres February 2027
Season 1 will cover approximately the first 50 chapters of the original manga, spanning seven episodes all at once with a total runtime of around 300 minutes, leading up to Luffy's encounter with Sanji, the sous chef of the floating restaurant Baratie.
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[05/05/26 - 03:01 AM]
"Rhythm + Flow Italy 3" - From June 22, Every Monday on Netflix
The new season includes nine episodes, one more than in the previous seasons, and brings an even stronger judging lineup.
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[05/05/26 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "The Polygamist" - Official Teaser - Netflix
A glamorous social media influencer and matriarch fights to reclaim her dignity and self-worth as her husband's web of secret wives, lies, and betrayals violently unravels her curated world.
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[05/04/26 - 02:31 PM]
Video: "Perilous Passage" - Official Trailer - HBO Max
This documentary looks at maternal health in the U.S. following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
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[05/04/26 - 12:39 PM]
Video: "Busted on Bodycam" - Official Trailer - Tubi Original
Armon Wiggins hosts a loud, viral ride through jaw-dropping bodycam footage, unpacking chaos, drama, and the wildest real-life moments caught on tape.
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[05/04/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: National Geographic Documentary Films Debuts Trailer for Sundance Standout "Time and Water," From the Academy Award Nominated Director of "Fire of Love," Sara Dosa
The documentary opens in theaters globally starting May 29 and later this year on National Geographic and Disney+.
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[05/04/26 - 09:01 AM]
One Final Call: "The Night Agent" Starts Production on Fourth and Final Season
"Ever since the initial success of 'The Night Agent,' I've been obsessed with eventually delivering a proper and thrilling conclusion to the show and to Peter Sutherland's journey," said Shawn Ryan.
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