 |
 |
[10/30/09 - 06:09 PM]
Development Update: Friday, October 30
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!
AIRPLANE REPO (Discovery) - Craig Piligian ("Dirty Jobs") has booked yet another series at the cable channel in which repossessor Nick Popovich and his team re-acquires jets and helicopters from delinquent owners around the world, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Finland. Eight episodes are set to roll out early next year from Piligian's Pilgrim Films & Television banner. Popovich and Bill Rancic ("The Apprentice") are executive producing alongside Piligan.
APOSTLE PROJECTS (Various, New!) - Denis Leary and Jim Serpico's Sony Pictures Television-based Apostle Films has lined up a half-dozen series projects around town. At CBS, the company is redeveloping its Michael Rapaport-led drama about "a social worker who's good at helping others with their problems, but not necessarily his own." Peter Ocko ("Pushing Daisies") is taking over scripting duties from Bryan Goluboff. Over at FOX, Apostle continues to shepherd "Extended Family" from John Beck and Ron Hart ("According to Jim"). The multi-camera comedy is based on Beck's experiences growing up in a family that also made room for foster kids.
Newly revealed are an untitled hour for FX set in the world of televangelists. David Folwell ("Medium") is writing the project, which is set up at FX Productions. At Spike TV there's "The Rebel League," loosely based on Ed Willes's book of the same name (subtitled "The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey"), about "the startup of a contemporary hockey league and its out-of-control managers and players." Stephen Engel ("The Big Bang Theory") is writing the half-hour. Meanwhile, USA is developing "Partners in Crime" from Janine Sherman-Barrois and "Scales of Justice," from New York playwright Joe Sutton. The former revolves around ex-husband and wife private eyes while the latter is a New Orleans-set drama about "an overweight ex-cop who enlists his overeaters support group to fight crime." Lastly, the company is looking to bring the feature film "Gattica" to the small screen. Gil Grant ("NCIS: LA") is penning the hour, a police procedural set in the future, which will go out to networks soon.
COUGAR TOWN (ABC) - "The Unit" alum Scott Foley has landed a three-episode arc on the freshman comedy, Entertainment Weekly reports. He'll play a client of Courteney Cox's realtor character whom she begins dating. It's not clear when his first episode will air.
THE FOLLOWER (HBO, New!) - Jason Starr's novel of the same name is set to be the focus of a potential new drama at the pay channel. Said hour, which is set up at Lionsgate Television, is "described as a dark social satire chronicling the dating lives of a group of twentysomething New Yorkers as seen through the eyes of a stalker." Bret Easton Ellis ("American Psycho") is penning the adaptation with Jason Blum ("Paranormal Activity") and Vertigo Films partners Doug Davison and Roy Lee and Media Talent Group's Geyer Kosinski also executive producing. Vertigo's Gabriel Mason is likewise attached as a co-executive producer with Steven Schneider serving as an associate producer. Vertigo has a first-look deal with Lionsgate.
JOSH HEALD PROJECTS (Various, New!) - Feature writer Josh Heald (the upcoming "Mardi Gras" and "Hot Tub Time Machine") has sold a pair of projects, multi-camera comedies at NBC and FOX. The Peacock effort, "Sausagefest," is about "two very different twentysomething best friends whose lives are complicated by their clingy dads, one a thrice-divorced misogynist who means well and the other a gentle widower." Norm Macdonald is already attached as the former dad. The FOX project, "Sequestered," then revolves around "12 strangers forced to live together when they are sequestered for a lengthy jury trial." BermanBraun's Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun are executive producing the Universal Media Studios-based "Sausagesfest" while The Chernin Co.'s Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope are likewise executive producing the 20th Century Fox Television-based "Sequestered."
NCIS (CBS) - Rena Sofer ("Heroes") is set to appear on an upcoming episode of the veteran CBS drama. She'll play a no-nonsense attorney with mysterious motives, a role which is potentially recurring.
RIZZOLI (TNT) - Sasha Alexander, Bruce McGill, Jordan Bridges and Lee Thompson Young have all joined the cast of the drama pilot, based on Tess Gerritsen's popular Jane Rizzoli mystery novels about the crime-solving team of Boston police detective Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and medical examiner Maura Isles. Alexander will play the latter role with McGill as "the gruff but lovable Detective Vince Korsak, Jane's former partner who is a bit hurt that she had taken the likable but green Barry Frost (Young), as her new partner." Bridges then is set as Franke Rizzoli Jr., "Jane's younger brother, a Boston patrol officer who worships her and hopes to make detective someday." Janet Tamaro penned the hour and is executive producing alongside Bill Haber.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [october 2009]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[05/26/26 - 09:41 AM]
Paramount+ Turns Up the Drama This Summer with the Return of "All the Queen's Men" and "Ruthless"
"All the Queen's Men" premieres its fifth and finale season on Wednesday, June 10; and the eagerly awaited sixth season of "Tyler Perry's Ruthless," returns on Tuesday, June 30.
|
[05/26/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Eddie Murphy" - Sneak Peek - Netflix
The special honors one of the most influential and beloved figures in film, celebrating a career that has redefined comedy and left a lasting impact on global audiences.
|
[05/26/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Root Of The Game" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Brazil lives, breathes and exports várzea. This series delves into the stories behind the beautiful game - one with the power to change lives.
|
[05/26/26 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "The Ribbon Hero" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Brought to life by a powerhouse team of creators, this new anime film arrives August 8, 2026, only on Netflix.
|
[05/26/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Norway: The Dark Horse" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Hope and history collide as an elite Norwegian squad fights to end a 26-year wait and earn a place at the 2026 World Cup in this rare-access documentary.
|
[05/25/26 - 01:08 PM]
MLB on ESPN Schedule Updates: Seattle Mariners Visit Baltimore Orioles on June 11; Defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers Host American League-Leading Tampa Bay Rays on June 15
Commentator assignments for both games will be announced soon.
|
[05/25/26 - 12:01 PM]
Heading to OKC! ESPN Presents Exclusive Coverage of the NCAA Women's College World Series
The final two teams face off in the best-of-three series, beginning on June 3.
|
[05/25/26 - 08:32 AM]
Netflix Announces Five New Brazilian Productions and Expands Its Presence at Rio2C 2026
Netflix will participate in five panels throughout the event, bringing together executives, creators and partners to discuss topics such as the future of audiovisual production in Brazil and Latin America, sports storytelling, and models of collaboration and financing for Brazilian cinema.
|
[05/25/26 - 08:31 AM]
"MED," Production Begins on Netflix's First Medical Drama, Starring Clara Moneke
Starring Clara Moneke and set in a university hospital, the series immerses viewers in the intense world of young doctors in training, exploring the emotional, ethical and deeply human challenges of the profession.
|
[05/25/26 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "The Marked Woman" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a woman is found in a shipping container with no memory of who she is, two detectives race to figure out her identity - and who wants her dead.
|
[05/24/26 - 09:02 PM]
Video: "President Curtis" - New Series Coming in July - Adult Swim
The new series is coming in July on Adult Swim.
|
[05/24/26 - 08:46 AM]
Video: HBO Max Unveils Coming Soon Spot Featuring First Looks at Several Upcoming Originals
The spot features never-before-seen footage from "Conan O'Brien Must Go," "Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness," "Monsters of God," "The Gilded Age," "The Man Will Burn," "War," and "Youth."
|
[05/22/26 - 02:54 PM]
Video: Summer Nights 2026 - All Month Long this June
Summer Nights returns this June with all-new movies every Saturday on Hallmark Channel.
|
[05/22/26 - 11:15 AM]
"Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" Is Taking a Big Summer Spin!
This summer, "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" brings 10 all-new episodes exclusively to Disney+ and Hulu beginning Friday, June 12.
|
[05/22/26 - 07:17 AM]
ESPN Films and Wakai Announce Global Premiere of "FC Barcelona: Sonar, jugar y ganar"
The documentary premieres in the U.S. on Saturday, May 23 at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and streaming on ESPN+.
|
|
|
|
