 |
 |
[12/10/09 - 06:13 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, December 10
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!
AMERICA: THE STORY OF US (History) - Meryl Streep, Michael Douglas, Colin Powell, Brian Williams, Buzz Aldrin, Tommy Franks, Donald Trump, John Lasseter and Stevie Wonder have all been tapped to participate in the upcoming 12-part event, which will "focus on the elements that distinguish American democracy, the conflicts that shaped it and the myriad social and industrial innovations that have fueled the country's prosperity." Said talent will serve as on-camera commentators with Jane Root executive producing via her Nutopia production banner. "America" is due sometime in 2010.
DELTA BLUES (TNT) - Alfre Woodard ("Three Rivers") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Dwight Hendricks (Jason Lee), "a Memphis police officer who lives with his mother (Celia Weston) and moonlights as a tribute artist." She'll play "the formidable new lieutenant who tries to exercise her power over Dwight," a role presumably in second position to the hiatused "Rivers." Warner Horizon Television and Smokehouse Productions are behind the hour, which also stars Abraham Benrubi, DJ Qualls, Leonard Howz, Robyn Lively and Sam Hennings. Clark Johnson is directing from a script by Joshua Harto and Liz Garcia.
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS (HBO) - Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement have announced via their web site their pay channel series won't be returning for a third season. "We've noticed the less we say about the future of the show, the more people want to talk about it, so in an effort to reverse this trend we are today announcing that we won't be returning for a 3rd season," said the statement. "We're very proud of the two seasons we made and we like the way the show ended. We'd like to thank everyone who helped make the show and also everyone who watched it. While the characters Bret and Jemaine will no longer be around, the real Bret and Jemaine will continue to exist." The show wrapped its second season back in March.
GLEE (FOX) - Tony-winning actress Idina Menzel ("Wicked") is reportedly in talks to recur on the back half of the show's freshman season. She would play the coach to glee club "Vocal Adrenaline," the McKinley High glee club's main competition. Menzel had already been the focus of a fan campaign to cast her as Rachel Berry's (Lea Michele) biological mother. Also signing on for a five to six episode arc is Jonathan Groff. He'll play the lead male vocalist of "Vocal Adrenaline" and a potential love interest for Rachel Berry. Groff co-starred opposite Michele in the Broadway production of "Spring Awakening."
KEEP HOPE ALIVE (FOX) - Kate Micucci ("Scrubs") has landed a role on the comedy pilot, about Jimmy (Lucas Neff), "a 25-year-old single parent raising an infant with the help of his quirky family after the mother of the baby -- with whom he had a one-night stand -- ends up on death row." She'll play Mike, "an unkempt, fairly oblivious cousin of Jimmy living in a tent in the laundry room of their great-grandmother's house." Said role was originally envisioned a male. Garrett Dillahunt, Kate Micucci, Martha Plimpton and Olesya Rulin also star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, which Michael Fresco is directing from a script by Greg Garcia.
THE SIX (ABC, New!) - Merv Griffin Entertainment has landed a presentation order from the Alphabet for a new game show based on the Russian format "What? Where? When?" Said project, which has been running for 35 years in its home country, is being redubbed "The Six," after the number of contestants on the show. The late Vladimir Voroshilov created (and hosted) the series, which pits a panel of six knowledgeable persons against the viewing audience. Said experts are tasked with answering audience-submitted questions listed on a spinning horizontal wheel divided into segments. If the experts answer correctly in the allotted 60 seconds they receive a point, if they don't the audience receives a point with question's author also earning a prize. (Sample question: "They first appeared in 1908 in Mexico. There were two of them. Over time, they came closer and closer together, like wings of a black raven. Name them." Answer: "Frida Kahlo's eyebrows.") Exact format details however are still being worked out. Merv Griffin's Roy Bank is executive producing the project alongside Ukranian-born actor Alex Reznik, Jonathan Barry and Ron Ward. Dwight Smith and Michael Agbabian are the showrunners with Brian Veskosky serving as a co-executive producer.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [december 2009]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[11/05/26 - 01:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Studios Signs First Look Deal with Cottage Industry Entertainment
The deal encompasses a slate of scripted television series and feature films based on both original projects and literary adaptations, including "The Whittiers," the New York Times bestselling novel by Danielle Steel, which FOX has recently optioned for television adaptation.
|
[11/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
HBO Original Documentary "The Hotline" Debuts November 18
The film offers an unprecedented look inside an overdose prevention helpline Never Use Alone (NUA), which connects people using opioids with compassionate operators, acting as a fragile tether between life and death.
|
[11/05/26 - 10:31 AM]
Video: HBO Max Unveils Official Trailer for HBO Original Documentary Series "The Killing of the Golden Rooster" Debuting November 12
All three episodes will be available on HBO Max beginning November 12.
|
[11/05/26 - 10:31 AM]
"Clarkson's Farm" Star Kaleb Cooper Headlines New Series "Kaleb Off the Farm," Coming to Prime Video January 8
The show follows Kaleb's adventures Down Under as he heads from Diddly Squat Farm to the Outback, in search of farming gold in Australia.
|
[11/05/26 - 10:01 AM]
NBC Releases "The Rockford Files" Premiere Date & (760) JIM-ROCK Hotline
The premiere episode will air Saturday, Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT immediately following NBC's NFL telecast.
|
[11/05/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Docu-Comedy Series "Oobah: Scams for a Better Tomorrow" Debuts November 22
Known for his viral stunts, including creating London's #1-rated fake restaurant, Oobah Butler sets his sights on the world's biggest industries and most powerful institutions.
|
[11/05/26 - 09:30 AM]
"Yaga" Is the #1 Exclusive Series Launch in the History of AMC+
The series also charted as the #1 social drama across all U.S. TV and streaming on its premiere day.
|
[11/05/26 - 09:21 AM]
Video: "Get Huge: Looksmaxxing to Death" - Official Trailer - Hulu
What happened to Leo Longevity? From Academy Award winner Adam McKay comes a Hulu original documentary.
|
[11/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Style Wars" - Official Trailer - Hulu
72 fashion fanatics face off on a stage where looks, age, profession, experience, and fame mean nothing compared to the fit. Who will rise to the top?
|
[11/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Hallmark Christmas Cruise 2027 to Set Sail Aboard Celebrity Reflection
With overwhelming fan demand leading to sold-out cruises every year since its inaugural sailings in 2024, the Hallmark Christmas Cruise is a can't-miss holiday tradition with joyful fun and immersive programming that create lasting memories.
|
[11/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Andrew Yancy Is Back in New Trailer for "Bad Monkey" Season Two
It will make its global debut on Apple TV with one episode on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, followed by one new episode every Wednesday through February 3, 2027.
|
[11/05/26 - 09:00 AM]
Chris Pratt to Receive King of Comedy Award at "CBS Presents Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (KCAs)"
Pratt will receive the coveted Silver Blimp in celebration of his career, before facing Nickelodeon's iconic slime.
|
[11/05/26 - 08:31 AM]
Record Breaking Comedian Nate Bargatze Sets Fourth Netflix Stand-Up Special "Good for Nathan"
The special, premiering November 24, was filmed in Fort Worth, Texas.
|
[11/05/26 - 08:01 AM]
Jonathan Pryce, James D'Arcy, Lena Olin, Camille Cottin, Alun Armstrong, Jessica Raine and Paul Ready join Sky Original "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Produced by Left Bank Pictures, the eight-part mystery thriller is a timely evolution of one of the world's most celebrated literary thriller franchises, with the Millennium novels having sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.
|
[11/05/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Witness a Savage Homecoming in the Final Season of "Yellowjackets" Premiering November 20
"Yellowjackets" is the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness.
|
|
|
|
