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[09/20/10 - 06:13 PM]
Development Update: Monday, September 20
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) |
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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!
AGAINST THE WALL (Lifetime) - Australian actress Rachael Carpani ("McLeod's Daughters") has scored the lead role on the pilot, a drama set in Chicago about a policewoman who causes a rift with her three cop brothers when she decides to join the department's Internal Affairs division. She'll play said woman, Abby Kowalski, in the project, which Dean Parisot has signed on to direct from a script by Annie Brunner. Universal Cable Productions is the studio attached.
THE AMANDA KNOX STORY (Lifetime, New!) - Hayden Panettiere ("Heroes") is set to topline a new docudrama at the cable channel from Pilgrim Films and Television based on the true story of Amanda Knox, a U.S. exchange student convicted by an Italian trial jury of brutally murdering her roommate. 20-year-old Knox, her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, and Ivory Coast native Rudy Guede were arrested in November 2007 and ultimately convicted for the killing of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher. The salacious details about Knox and company made headlines in the U.S. with Senator Maria Cantwell of Knox's home state of Washington decrying the verdict as the result of anti-Americanism in Italy. Robert Dornhelm is directing the project from a script by Wendy Battles while Craig Piligian, Battles, Trevor Walton and Craig Anderson executive producing and Randy Sutter producing.
EXTREME MAKEOVER: WEIGHT LOSS EDITION (A.K.A. OBESE) (ABC) - The Alphabet has rebranded the upcoming series "Obese" as "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition." 3 Ball Productions is behind the hour-long series, which "follows morbidly obese individuals through a year of their life as they work to lose at least half of their body weight." It's understood casting is already underway for a second six-episode cycle due to the lengthy lead time needed to produce the series while the show itself may expand to two hours as a result of the abundant footage available. J.D. Roth and Todd A. Nelson are the executive producers while Chris Powell (TLC's "The 650-Pound Virgin") serves "as their coach, moving into their homes with their families."
HOMELAND (A.K.A. PATRIOTS) (Showtime, New!) - Howard Gordon's drama, an import of the Israeli series "Prisoners of War," has found a home at Showtime with Ben Affleck ("The Town") in talks to direct. The "24" alum co-wrote the pilot alongside Alex Gansa and Gideon Raff, the creator of the original series. Said hour will revolve around an American solider who's rescued after going missing 10 years ago in Iraq and a female CIA operative who investigates the circumstances surrounding his return, after receiving a tip he may actually be part of an upcoming terror plot. Gordon, Gansa and Raff are executive producing with Avi Nir and Ron Telem for Fox 21 and the Keshet Broadcasting Group.
LAW & ORDER: LOS ANGELES (NBC) - Peter Coyote ("FlashForward") has been tapped as the District Attorney on the upcoming spin-off. He'll serve as the supervisor to Alfred Molina and Terrence Howard's characters, both ADAs who will alternate their services each week. Skeet Ulrich, Corey Stoll, Megan Boone, Regina Hall and Rachel Ticotin also star in the hour, which launches next week.
LEGENDS (NBC, New!) - Howard Gordon ("24") has booked his third project this development cycle, about a "CIA operative with an uncanny gift for 'legends' - aka false identities - who is sent on a variety of missions, while simultaneously coping with the possibility that his own identity may be a 'legend' itself." The project, which has a put pilot commitment, is based on a book by Robert Littell. Mark Bomback ("Live Free or Die Hard") is penning the hour and executive producing alongside Gordon and Jonathan Levin for 20th Century Fox Television.
NECESSARY ROUGHNESS (USA) - Callie Thorne ("Rescue Me") has been cast in the lead role on the drama pilot, about "a tough, sexy Long Island divorcee (Thorne) who, to make ends meet, becomes the therapist for a professional football team and quickly becomes sought after by other athletes, musicians, politicians and those living in the spotlight." Elizabeth Kruger and Craig Shapiro co-wrote the 90-minute pilot, production of which was casting said role. Sony Pictures Television is behind the project with Kruger and Shapiro executive producing alongside Donna Dannenfesler, Joe Sabatino and Kevin Dowling, the latter of which will direct.
PAN AM (ABC, New!) - Jack Orman ("Men of a Certain Age") and Thomas Schlamme ("Mr. Sunshine") are set to team for a potential new drama about the defunct air carrier. Said hour, which comes from Sony Pictures Television and has a pilot commitment, will be set in the mid-1960s and focus on "the pilots and flight attendants who once made Pan Am the most glamorous way to fly." Schlamme will direct the project from a script by Orman with Nancy Ganis executive producing alongside the duo. Sid Ganis is also attached as a co-executive producer. Pan Am formally closed in 1991 following a much-ballyhooed bankruptcy.
SHARK TANK (ABC) - Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and chairman of cable channel HDNet, is the latest addition to the show's second season. He'll appear in three episodes as a guest venture capitalist. Cuban joins Jeff Foxworthy, who's likewise set to appear in three installments during the upcoming sophomore run. Cuban previously was the centerpiece of the Alphabet's short-lived reality competition "The Benefactor" in 2004.
UNTITLED MO MANDEL PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Comedian Mo Mandel ("Chelsea Lately") has set up a new comedy at the Peacock which "chronicles what a group of 20 somethings do in the last five years of their lives before the Earth is destroyed by a meteor." Mandel is writing the half-hour and may co-star in the pilot, should it move forward. 3 Arts Entertainment is producing.
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[06/26/17 - 03:06 PM]
Sissy Spacek & Jane Levy Join Hulu's "Castle Rock"
Spacek will play Ruth Deaver, estranged adoptive mother of Henry (Andre Holland), a retired professor whose fading memories may hold a key to Castle Rock's unsettling past.
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[06/26/17 - 02:07 PM]
A&E to Premiere Hybrid Live-Action and Animation Docuseries "Akil the Fugitive Hunter" Thursday, July 13
"This series offers a fresh take on true crime storytelling through the lens of a real-life hero working to make his community safer and offering hope for future generations," said Elaine Frontain Bryant.
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[06/26/17 - 01:21 PM]
"The Defiant Ones," Four-Part Documentary Event Telling the True Story of Music Legends Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, Debuts July 9 on HBO
Director Allen Hughes filmed Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre with unfettered access over a three-year period.
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[06/26/17 - 01:06 PM]
"Fuller House" Returns Friday, September 22!
September 22, 2017 is the 30th anniversary of the original "Full House" premiere.
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[06/26/17 - 12:15 PM]
Tuesday Nights Are Brave, Bold and Original with the Fifth Season Premiere of "The Fosters" and Two-Hour Series Premiere of New Original Drama "The Bold Type," on Tuesday, July 11
Both premieres will also be available on the Freeform app and Freeform.com (same date and time).
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[06/26/17 - 10:17 AM]
Showtime(R) Presents "Tiffany Haddish: She Ready! From the Hood to Hollywood"!
In this hour-long special, the Los Angeles native tackles subjects ranging from her early days in foster care and being bullied on the playground to getting revenge on ex-boyfriends and introducing Will and Jada Pinkett Smith to Groupon.
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[06/26/17 - 10:07 AM]
MTV Elevates Its Talent Game with New Comedy Series "SafeWord" from the Producers of "Lip Sync Battle"
"SafeWord" will premiere on Thursday, July 13, immediately following a new episode of "Wild 'N Out" and as part of MTV's "Throwdown Thursdays" comedy block.
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[06/26/17 - 10:05 AM]
Nickelodeon Brings O-Town, Hillwood, Bikini Bottom, and More to Life at Comic-Con International: San Diego July 20-23, 2017
Nick will showcase its fan-favorite characters and popular shows with one-of-a-kind activations, panels, talent signings and interactive experiences.
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[06/26/17 - 08:41 AM]
Sunday's Broadcast Ratings: Game Show Lineup Puts ABC on Top
The Alphabet's "Celebrity Family Feud" tops the night among adults 18-49.
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[06/26/17 - 08:14 AM]
Hit Comedy Series "Ballers," Starring Dwayne Johnson, Returns for Season Three July 23, Exclusively on HBO
Guest stars include Richard Schiff, Steve Guttenberg, Steven Weber, Emayatzy Corinealdi and Serinda Swan.
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[06/26/17 - 07:06 AM]
Yo! Spike Lee's New Joint, A Netflix Original Series Premieres on Thanksgiving, November 23, 2017
"She's Gotta Have It" from Academy Award(R) nominated director Spike Lee is a 10-episode contemporary update of Lee's 1986 revolutionary debut film.
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[06/26/17 - 07:03 AM]
Nat Geo Releases Free Streaming of Highly Acclaimed Coal Documentary, From the Ashes
Starting today, through July 3, this important and timely film will be available commercial-free and unauthenticated via YouTube, Facebook, Hulu, Amazon, Google Play and VOD and unauthenticated on Natgeotv.com and Nat Geo TV Apps.
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[06/26/17 - 07:01 AM]
ABC Discovers: Digital Talent Competition Now Live in the U.S.
Actors 18 and older are encouraged to visit ABCDiscovers.com to enter the contest for the chance to receive a one-year $25,000 talent deal with ABC.
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[06/26/17 - 07:00 AM]
This Thursday, Join Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for a Live, Spontaneous Evening of "Rick and Morty"
It all starts at 9:00/8:00c on AdultSwim.com.
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[06/26/17 - 06:16 AM]
Marvel's New Television Series "Marvel's Inhumans" Will Premiere on ABC on Friday, September 29
The legendary comic book series will be brought to life in a way that has never been done before, as a version of the first two episodes will be shown globally in IMAX theatres for a two-week period, beginning September 1.
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