 |
 |
[03/27/09 - 06:24 PM]
Development Update: Friday, March 27
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!
BEN HUR (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet is set to team with Alchemy Television Group and Spain's Drimtim Entertainment for a new mini-series about the renegade hero in ancient Rome. William Wyler's 1959 film about the subject took home 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. Steve Shill ("Rome") will direct the $22.5 million production from a script by Alan Sharp ("Rob Roy"). Casting is underway on the project, which will begin filming in May in Spain, Morocco and Canada. David Wyler, William Wyler's son, is executive producing alongside Alchemy's Simon Vaughan and Drimtim's Roger Corbi. It's understood ABC plans to air the project as a limited series however no air date has been set.
EMPIRE STATE (ABC) - David Call is the latest addition to the drama pilot, "a contemporary Romeo-and-Juliet tale about the love between the blue-collar Sam (Mike Vogel) and the wealthy Annabelle (Beau Garrett) whose fathers are nemeses." He'll play the man's younger brother in the project, which comes from writer Michael Seitzman, director Jeremy Podeswa and ABC Studios.
MASTERWORK (FOX) - Aussie Matt Passmore and Brit Tom Ellis have both landed lead roles on the drama pilot, a thriller about a race against time to recover the world's most sought-after artifacts. They'll join the previously cast Natalie Dormer. Passmore will play an FBI agent specializing in the acquisition of stolen art who teams with Dormer's character, an MI-5 agent. Ellis then plays her fiance, a special agent at Scotland Yard. Paul T. Scheuring penned the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which Jeffrey Nachmanoff is directing.
NEW YORK GOES TO WORK (VH1, New!) - Tiffany "New York" Pollard is set to topline another series for the cable channel in which she undertakes various jobs suggested by text-messaging viewers. The series, from reality house 51 Minds Entertainment - home to previous Pollard efforts "I Love New York" and "Flavor of Love," will launch on Monday, May 4 at 10:00/9:00c. Here's the network's official description: "Each week America will choose from a list of three possible job opportunities and vote via their mobile phones by texting which job they would like to see Tiffany try. Will she be a Cal Trans sewer worker, a mortuary beautician, or a fast food employee? It will be up to you. And don�t think it will be easy for Tiffany. She�ll be worked, in all aspects of the job! Why again is she doing this? For the money of course. If she can impress her new employers, she�ll receive a $5,000 bonus each week. But, if she quits, fails, or gets fired, she�ll get absolutely nothing." Mark Cronin and Cris Abrego are the executive producers.
STATE OF ROMANCE (NBC) - Stephen Rannazzisi ("Big Day") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about the "Pride & Prejudice"-esque relationship between Mike (Steve Howey) and Emily (Lindsey Broad). He'll play Mike's roommate in the project, which comes from Universal Media Studios and co-creators Barbara Wallace and Tom Wolfe.
VICTORIA SILVSTEDT: MY PERFECT LIFE (E!, New!) - The cable channel has acquired the rights to the rights to the U.K.-produced reality series, which tracks the life of the former Playboy Playmate of the Year. Set to roll out Thursday, April 2 at 8:00/7:00c, the project bowed on E!'s counterpart in the U.K. back in November.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [march 2009]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[06/22/26 - 12:00 PM]
"Love Island USA" Heads to Casa as Peacock Reveals the New Casa Amor Men
Tonight, the surprises continue with 12 new Casa men in a spicy round of speed dating.
|
[06/22/26 - 11:55 AM]
BET's Hit Comedy Series "Ms. Pat Settles It" Season 3B Returns Tuesday, June 30
Ms. Pat will be back on the bench, calling on a jury of her friends, celebrity guests, and fellow comedians to help settle real-life cases where everything from family ties and friendships to messy breakups and rocky romances hang in the balance.
|
[06/22/26 - 11:54 AM]
Ms. Pat Signs Expanded Exclusive Overall Deal with BET Studios, with Content Spanning Across Paramount Platforms & Ability to Sell to Third-Party Studios
The sixth season of "The Ms. Pat Show" will stream on Paramount+, the new streaming home for BET+ content, bringing the beloved series to a global platform with nearly 80 million subscribers.
|
[06/22/26 - 10:30 AM]
NBCUniversal Unveils Rock Studios, A Next-Generation Creative Engine Powering Brand Growth Across Iconic IP and Fandoms
With a portfolio anchored in the world's most powerful sports, influential entertainment, and cultural properties, Rock Studios transforms media investment into integrated experiences, pairing unmatched reach with cultural relevance to deliver measurable business impact for brands of all sizes.
|
[06/22/26 - 10:09 AM]
AMC Global Media's July Highlights Include "The Walking Dead: Dead City," "The Vampire Lestat," "Inspector Ellis," "The Ridge," "Harry Wild" and More
Film premieres for the month include "Chum," "Touch Me," "Faces of Death," "Exit 8," "Saccharine," "Over Your Dead Body," and "Da'partments."
|
[06/22/26 - 09:25 AM]
Linda Cohn, ESPN's Longest-Tenured "SportsCenter" Anchor, to Retire from ESPN June 30
Cohn joined ESPN in July of 1992 and hosted her first "SportsCenter" edition at 2 a.m. on July 11, 1992.
|
[06/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
Netflix Announces New "Gabby's Dollhouse" Series, A "Sesame Street" Collection, and Even More for Preschoolers and Kids
In addition to the new series, Gabby and the Gabby Cats return on September 14 for Season 14 of "Gabby's Dollhouse," which was the No. 4 series on Netflix in the second half of 2025 with roughly 108 million views.
|
[06/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
Award-Winning Rece Davis Joins ESPN's Wimbledon Coverage as Host
A mainstay at ESPN for more than 25 years, Davis is best known as the Emmy Award-winning host of college football's premier pre-game show, "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot," as well as other football and basketball-related ESPN programs.
|
[06/22/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Golden Kamuy -The Abashiri Prison Raid-" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In a fierce three-way fight over a hoard of Ainu gold, Asirpa and Sugimoto head to Abashiri Prison, where Noppera-Bo and the truth about her father wait.
|
[06/22/26 - 07:01 AM]
ESPN Reveals Special Honorees for "The 2026 ESPYS Presented by Capital One," Airing Wednesday, July 15, at 8 P.M. on ABC and Streaming on the ESPN App
Jason Collins will posthumously receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, Jim Abbott will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, and Scott Ruskan will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
|
[06/22/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Ricky Gervais "Alley Cats" - Official Trailer - Netflix
It follows a gang of foul-mouthed feral cats who cause havoc while musing on the meaning of life and fighting for survival in a brutal human world.
|
[06/22/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "The Sheep Detectives" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
"The Sheep Detectives" arrives June 24 on Prime Video.
|
[06/21/26 - 01:31 PM]
Peacock to Debut Companion Video Podcast "The Five Star Weekend Official Podcast" July 9 in Line with the Series Premiere of "The Five Star Weekend"
Best-selling author Elin Hilderbrand unpacks "The Five Star Weekend" with the show's cast and crew.
|
[06/20/26 - 12:23 PM]
USMNT's 2-0 Win Over Australia Scores FOX Best Friday Afternoon Telecast on Any Broadcast Network Since 2022
14,781,000 viewers watched the USMNT blank Australia 2-0 Friday afternoon on FOX.
|
[06/20/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Sparks of Tomorrow" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In an alternate past, an unlikely duo team up to look for a missing catalog that could bring electricity to the smoke-filled streets of Kyoto.
|
|
|
|
