 |
 |
[02/26/09 - 06:24 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, February 26
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!
COUGAR TOWN (ABC) - Busy Philipps, Dan Byrd and Brian Van Holt have all joined the cast of the Courteney Cox-led comedy pilot, about Julia (Cox), a newly single 40-year-old mother with a 17-year-old son. Byrd will play said son with Van Holt as Julia's loser ex/her son's dad and Philipps as Julia's friend/co-worker. Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel co-created the half-hour, which is based at ABC Studios.
GOSSIP GIRL (The CW) - Brittany Snow ("American Dreams") is in final negotiations to topline the much-ballyhooed spin-off, a prequel chronicling the wild teen years of Lily van der Woodsen (Kelly Rutherford) in Los Angeles during the 1980s. She'll play Lily Rhodes, who's detailed in the casting notice as follows: "Female, 16, beautiful, slightly entitled. Caucasian. Kelly Rutherford's character as a teenager. Born into a world of wealth. Rebellious and wild. Kicked out of her prominent boarding school and forced to live with and watch over her irresponsible older sister in Los Angeles. A poor little rich girl, a princess in the Valley. She discovers she can be herself amongst the less privileged kids she befriends at her new school. She is on a journey to discover which world she belongs in." Also signing on is Shilo Fernandez as Owen: "Male, 19. Open ethnicity, ethnic preferred. Hot - Valley punk guy with a caustic wit. Has had a tough life." Alloy Entertainment, College Hill Productions and Warner Bros. Television are behind the hour, which comes from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Krysten Ritter also stars as Carol, Lily's sister.
EMPIRE STATE (ABC) - Michael Nouri ("Invincible") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, which centers on a blue-collar young man falling in love with a wealthy girl. He'll play the girl's father in the ABC Studios-based hour, which Jeremy Podeswa is directing from a script by Michael Seitzman.
MAGGIE HILL (FOX) - British actress Christina Cole has booked the title role on the drama pilot, about a brilliant female surgeon (Cole) who thrives despite battling adult-onset schizophrenia. Ian Biederman created the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which Stephen Hopkins is directing.
MERCY (NBC) - "Weeds" co-star Guillermo Diaz has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about three nurses bound together in friendship. He's set as a male nurse working with them. Adam Bernstein is helming the Universal Media Studios-based hour from a script by creator Elizabeth Heldens.
NCIS (CBS) - Chris O'Donnell is officially on board the upcoming spin-off, which will air later this season as a two-part episode of "NCIS." He'll play Callen, "the troubled, enigmatic lead agent whose natural talent for undercover work is legend." LL Cool J, Louise Lombard, Peter Cambor and Daniela Ruah also star in the CBS Paramount Network Television-based project, which comes from creator Shane Brennan and director Tony Wharmby.
'TIL DEATH (FOX) - "Everybody Hates Chris" executive producer Don Reo has been tapped as the latest showrunner of the hiatused comedy. He'll serve as an executive producer alongside creators Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith for the show's recently ordered fourth season. The news marks a reunion of sorts for the producers - Reo gave Yuspa and Goldsmith their first staff writing gig on the 1996 CBS comedy "Pearl."
TRAUMA (NBC) - Derek Luke, Kevin Rankin, Cliff Curtis and Jamey Sheridan are all the latest additions to the drama pilot, a medical procedural about a team of EMTs. Luke will play "a stoic trauma doctor who tries to be a good family man" with Curtis as "a genius surgeon and adrenaline junkie who travels by helicopter"; Sheridan as "an intuitive doctor who runs the trauma center"; and Rankin as "a paramedic who drives the fire department truck." Dario Scardapane is behind the hour, which is set up at Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey's Film 44 and Universal Media Studios. Jeffrey Reiner is directing.
THE UNKNOWN (ABC) - Anthony Carrigan, Michelle Borth, Bob Stephenson and Rochelle Aytes have all scored roles on the drama pilot, about a team of dedicated amateur detectives working on cases of unidentified victims. Carrigan will play "a troubled artist recruited for his talent of facial reconstruction" while Borth is set as "a member of the team who has an office day job." Rounding out the quartet is Stephenson as another member of the team, "a phone company worker," and Aytes as "a tough police detective." Mark Friedman created the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced hour, which is set up at Warner Bros. Television. Danny Cannon is also on board to direct and executive produce.
WALORSKY (FOX) - The network has opted to push the pilot's production to June, citing difficulties casting the lead. Alessandro Tanaka and Brian Gatewood created the comedy, about an ex-cop-turned-security guard who patrols a mall in Buffalo. Ravi Nandan and Scot Armstrong are executive producing the half-hour, which is set up at their American Work banner and 20th Century Fox Television.
WASHINGTON FIELD (CBS) - Cole Hauser ("K-Ville") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about an elite FBI team that handles crises around the world. He'll play the squad's supervisor. Hauser's involvement is tied to a talent holding deal the actor signed with the network back in October. Jon Cassar is helming the CBS Paramount Network Television-based hour from a script by Edward Allen Bernero and fellow co-creators Jim Clemente and Tim Clemente.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [february 2009]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[03/28/26 - 10:11 PM]
Video: "Sparks of Tomorrow" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The newest work from Kyoto Animation, "Sparks of Tomorrow" begins streaming worldwide on July 5, only on Netflix.
|
[03/28/26 - 09:16 PM]
Video: "BAKI-DOU: The Invincible Samurai" - Official Teaser - Netflix Anime
Baki and the strongest Underground Arena fighters face a threat of historical proportions: the resurrected Musashi Miyamoto, Japan's greatest samurai.
|
[03/28/26 - 03:30 PM]
Lion Forge Entertainment Announces Premiere Date for Second "Iyanu" Animated Movie
"Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes" will debut on Cartoon Network on July 11, 2026, and be available on HBO Max the following day.
|
[03/28/26 - 02:46 AM]
Video: "STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" 2nd STAGE - Official Teaser - Netflix
In the 2nd STAGE, the racers must cross a 750-mile expanse of desert.
|
[03/27/26 - 09:16 PM]
Video: "Dandelion" - Official Trailer - Netflix
At an afterlife agency where angels guide lingering souls, Tetsuo and Misaki take on any challenge to help the dead find peace in their own offbeat style.
|
[03/27/26 - 06:46 PM]
Video: "Blue Box" Season 2 - Official Teaser - Netflix
Season 2 is coming to Netflix in October 2026.
|
[03/27/26 - 03:16 PM]
Official Trailer for HBO's Harry Potter Series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," Shatters Records as HBO and HBO Max's Most-Watched Ever by More Than Double, Amassing +277 Million Organic Views in 48 Hours
The series will debut Christmas 2026 on HBO and will be available to stream exclusively on HBO Max.
|
[03/27/26 - 01:01 PM]
Hugely Popular "Chicago" Series Set to Return to NBC in the Fall
"Chicago Fire" will begin its 15th season in the fall, "Chicago P.D." its 14th and "Chicago Med" its 12th.
|
[03/27/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix Rounds Out Cast of "Kennedy" with Production Underway in London
The new drama series based on Fredrik Logevall's book, "JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956," will explore the triumphs and tragedies of the Kennedy family from Chernin Entertainment.
|
[03/27/26 - 09:48 AM]
FOX Sports Assembles Top-Tier Roster for 2026 Major League Baseball Regular Season Coverage
Entering their fifth season together, first-ballot Hall of Famer John Smoltz and Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer Joe Davis call FOX Sports' top regular season and playoff games.
|
[03/27/26 - 09:46 AM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers in Late-Night, Friday Night and Sunday Morning
"20/20" scored its best Adults 25-54 performance in 11 months.
|
[03/27/26 - 09:21 AM]
"The Morning Show" News Incoming - Sean Hayes Joins the Cast of Season 5
Apple TV confirmed the news on social media this morning.
|
[03/27/26 - 08:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary Series "The Dark Wizard" Debuts April 14
The four-part documentary series is an up-close and unflinching portrait of Dean Potter, one of the world's most influential and controversial climbers, BASE jumpers, and highline walkers.
|
[03/27/26 - 07:01 AM]
ESPN Original "Why Not Us: UMES Volleyball" to Premiere March 30
Presented by Andscape and produced by Sport & Story, the latest installment follows the inspiring journey of the newly formed men's volleyball team at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore - the first men's volleyball program at a Division I HBCU.
|
[03/26/26 - 02:05 PM]
"The Madison" Marks Taylor Sheridan's Biggest Debut Season Launch with 8 Million Views Globally for Paramount+
The debut of the six-part series also marks the biggest freshman season launch for the prolific creator among women 35+.
|
|
|
|
