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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!
BREAKOUT KINGS (FOX) - Laz Alonso ("Avatar") is the first to land a role on the drama pilot, about "former fugitives who are tapped to work as U.S. Marshals." While not specified, he's believed to be playing Charlie DuChamp, the head of said team. Gavin Hood is helming the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which was written by Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora.
CHAOS (CBS) - Freddy Rodriguez ("Six Feet Under") is the first to be cast on the drama pilot, about "rogue CIA operatives who combat bureaucratic gridlock, rampant incompetence and political infighting." He'll play Rick Martinez, "a dedicated and naive agent who believes he can make the world a better place." Brett Ratner is helming the hour from a script by Tom Spezialy. 20th Century Fox Television is producing.
CHASE (NBC) - Cole Hauser ("K-Ville") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about "a crucial fugitive apprehension team comprised of U.S. Marshals that tracks down the nation's most notorious criminals." He's believed to be playing Jimmy Godfrey, "a seasoned ex-cop who co-heads the unit." Jesse Metcalfe and Rose Rollins also star in the hour, which comes from creator Jennifer Johnson and the Warner Bros. Television-based Jerry Bruckheimer Television.
GENERATION Y (ABC) - Keir O'Donnell ("Paul Bart: Mall Cop") and Michael Stahl-David ("Cloverfield") have both joined the cast of the potential drama, about the lives of eight young adults - The Overachiever, The Beauty Queen, The Nerd, The Punk, The Jock, The Brain, The Rich Kid, The Rebel - during a 10-year span in Austin. It's not clear which of the group they'll be playing. Craig Gillespie is helming the ABC Studios-based hour from a script by Noah Hawley.
HAWAII FIVE-O (CBS) - Alex O'Loughlin has closed his deal to topline the drama pilot, a remake of the classic cop show about the Hawaii State Police. He'll play Steve McGarret, a role originated by Jack Lord. Daniel Dae Kim also stars in the project, which comes from co-creators Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Peter Lenkov. CBS Television Studios is producing.
MATADORS (ABC) - David Strathairn ("Temple Grandin") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about "two long-feuding families, one that populates the Chicago district attorney's office and the other that manages the city's most influential private law firm." He'll play Roman Lodari, the head of the former clan. Zach Gilford also stars in the Jack Orman-penned hour, which comes from Sony Pictures Television.
MIDLAND (FOX) - Newcomer Jimmy Wolk has scored the lead role on the drama pilot, about "a con artist who's looking to get inside his wealthy in-laws' oil business." He'll play Robert Allen, said man - who's married to two women, in the hour, which Marc Webb is directing from a script by Kyle Killen. In addition, Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman ("Party of Five") have come aboard as executive producers, as have Kerry Kohansky Roberts and Paul Weitz. 20th Century Fox Television is producing.
MILDRED PIERCE (HBO) - The pay channel is moving forward with the five-hour mini-series, based on James M. Cain's classic noir novel of the same name. Kate Winslet is toplining the project as Mildred Pierce Beragon, "a proud, single mother struggling to earn her daughter's love during the Great Depression in middle-class Los Angeles." MGM, Killer Films and John Wells Productions are co-producing with Todd Haynes directing from a script he co-wrote with Jon Raymond. Haynes, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon and John Wells will serve as the executive producers with Ilene Landress producing. Production is set to begin in April in New York.
SHAQ VS. (ABC) - The Alphabet has ordered a second season of the summer entry, in which basketball star Shaquille O'Neal takes on top athletes in their respective fields. Six new episodes will roll out later this year from Media Rights Capital and Dick Clark Productions. Ben Roethlisberger, Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh, Albert Pujols, Oscar de la Hoya and Michael Phelps were among those featured during its freshman run. Joe Hipps, Orly Adelson, Will Staeger, Barry Adelman, Scott Messick, Perry Rogers, Steve Nash and O'Neal are the executive producers.
THE STRIP (NBC) - Dave Holmes and "Reno 911!" alums Natasha Leggero and Cedric Yarbrough have joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about "a former child star (Thomas Lennon), who owns a Hooters-type restaurant in a strip mall on the outskirts of Las Vegas." Leggero will play Natasha, a party-girl waitress, with Yarbrough as Mr. Maurice, one of the bar's regulars, and Holmes as Dave, the very gay owner of the strip mall's Christian Bookstore. Robert Ben Garant also stars in the half-hour, which he co-wrote with Lennon. Principato-Young Entertainment and Universal Media Studios are co-producing.
TRUE LOVE (CBS) - Ashley Austin Morris is the latest addition to the comedy pilot, about "four friends in New York who are looking for love." She'll play Connie Grabowski, "the cynical, gruff cousin and best friend" to Kate (Minka Kelly), another of the quartet. Matt Tarses is behind the half-hour, which comes from CBS Television Studios, FanFare Productions and Sony Pictures Television.
UNTITLED LARRY CHARLES/ANT HINES PROJECT (CBS, New!) - "Borat's" Larry Charles and Ant Hines have scored a pilot presentation commitment from the Eye for a new comedy about a dad who re-enters the life of his now-famous daughter. Paul Kaye is already attached to star in the project, which is set up at Sony Pictures Television and the studio-based Tantamount banner. The company's Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum and Mitch Hurwitz then will executive produce alongside Charles and Hines.
UNTITLED IRS PROJECT (FOX) - David Krumholtz ("NUMB3RS") has booked the lead role on the pilot, a workplace comedy set at an Internal Revenue Service district office. He'll play Spencer Krattaville, "a proud auditor of the IRS who is hounded constantly by his boss." Said role is in second position to a potential seventh season of "NUMB3RS." Brent Forrester penned the half-hour, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television and Ron Howard's Imagine Television.
UNTITLED ADAM CAROLLA PROJECT (NBC) - Ashley Williams and Shanley Caswell have each joined the cast of the comedy pilot, which stars Carolla as "a contractor who embarks on rebuilding his life after a divorce." The former will play Judith Arkowitz, Adam's divorced landlady/friend, with Caswell as Adam's teenage daughter Lucy. Carolla, Jon Pollack and Kevin Hench are behind the half-hour, which comes from BermanBraun, Jackhole Industries and Universal Media Studios.
THE WHOLE TRUTH (ABC) - Sean Wing is the latest to score a role on the drama pilot, which "chronicles the building of a case from the perspective of the defense and prosecution." He's on board as Chad Griffin, "a trust-fund baby with powerful family connections who works in the district attorney's office." He joins the previously cast Eamonn Walker in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which also comes from creator Tom Donaghy and Jerry Bruckheimer Television. Alex Graves directs.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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