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[03/21/11 - 10:59 PM]
Development Update: Monday, March 21
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!
ANGLER (HBO, New!) - Barton Gellman's book of the same name - about former Vice President Dick Cheney - is being developed as a potential mini-series at the pay channel. Rick Cleveland ("Six Feet Under") is penning the adaptation, which will track Cheney's life from "his early days as Donald Rumsfeld's protege in the Nixon administration, to the nation's youngest Chief of Staff under President Ford, to serving as Secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush, through two controversial terms as Vice President under President George W. Bush." Spring Creek Productions and Fair Catch Productions are co-producing with Paula Weinstein, Jeffrey Levine, David Kennedy and "Frontline's" David Fanning and Michael Kirk executive producing.
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC) - Jonathan Cake ("Six Degrees") is set to join the cast of the long-running soap. He'll play Aaron, "a handsome, sexy, college-educated police detective with strong family values who becomes involved with Bree (Marcia Cross) when he comes to Wisteria Lane to investigate a case," in an upcoming four-episode arc before returning as a regular next season.
EATING WITH THE ENEMY (HBO, New!) - James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos") is set to star in and executive produce a potential docudrama at the pay channel about the true story of Bobby Egan, the owner of a Hackensack, New Jersey rib joint who became involved in back channel negotiations with North Korea to stop producing nuclear weapons. Said project is based on Egan and Kurt Pitzer's book of the same name, subtitled "How I Waged Peace With North Korea from My BBQ Shack in Hackensack." Egan improbably made inroads with the North Korean government after showing up at the doorstep of their consulate near the U.N. and offering his friendship. He subsequently made several trips to North Korea itself, where he was approached by the State Department to be their conduit in backdoor nuke talks. As for the film, Mark Armstrong, Nancy Sanders, Jane Rosenthal, Brandon Brito and Megan Lyvers will executive produce for Tribeca Productions and Gandolfini's Atta Boy Productions with Pitzer and Kimberly Levin co-producing. No other auspices were given.
FREE AGENTS (NBC) - Kathryn Hahn ("Hung") is set to star opposite Hank Azaria in the comedy pilot, about "the attraction between two quirky PR executives working together - Alex (Azaria) and Helen (Hahn) - who both are on the rebound, Alex from a divorce and Helen from the loss of a fiance." Todd Holland is directing the Universal Media Studios-based half-hour, from creator John Enbom. Mo Mandel also stars.
LOSING IT WITH JILLIAN (NBC) - Network sources have confirmed the Jillian Michaels-led series, in which "The Biggest Loser" trainer travels across the country to transform one family at a time, won't be returning for a second. Said effort was absent from the Peacock's summer lineup, which was revealed earlier today.
MORE AS THE STORY DEVELOPS (A.K.A. UNTITLED AARON SORKIN PROJECT) (HBO) - Jeff Daniels is reportedly in talks to topline the Aaron Sorkin-penned drama pilot, set behind the scenes of a nightly cable news show. He'd play Will McCallister, "a famous cable newsman of the Anderson Cooper/Brian Williams mold who is smart and talented guy but just a pain in the ass to work with and for." Sorkin and Scott Rudin are the executive producers.
PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC) - Benjamin Bratt ("The Cleaner") is on track to join the cast of the veteran drama. Details about his role are being kept under wraps, however it's understood he'll be introduced in the season finale. Said casting is designed to fill the void left by Audra McDonald, who's departing the series at the end of the season.
R.E.M. (NBC) - Cherry Jones ("24") and Michaela McManus ("The Vampire Diaries") have both joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Mark Britten (Jason Isaacs), a police detective living in two different realities following a horrible car accident: one in which his son Rex (Dylan Minnette) lives, another in which his wife Hannah lives - each with their own partner and psychiatrist. In addition, co-star Laura Allen has been recast as Hannah ("stunning, warm"). The actress was previously attached as Tara ("long, slender, like someone who not only plays a sport for a living, but does it well"), Rex's tennis coach and trusted confidante. Said role will now go to McManus. Jones then is set as Stephanie Evans, Mark's psychiatrist in the reality where Rex lives. The previously cast B.D. Wong conversely is Mark's psychiatrist in the reality where Hannah lives, while Steve Harris and Wilmer Valderrama play Mark's respective partners. David Slade is directing the Kyle Killen-penned hour, from 20th Century Fox Television.
SECRET CIRCLE (The CW) - Natasha Henstridge ("Eli Stone") and Australian actor Louis Hunter have both landed roles on the drama pilot, about Cassie Blake (Britt Robertson), a California teen who moves to her mom's hometown of New Salem, Maine and discovers that she comes from a family of witches. She'll play Dawn Chamberlain ("a strikingly beautiful woman in her late 30's"), the vice principal at Cassie's school and an old friend of her mother's; while Hunter is on board as Nick Armstrong ("good physique, and he knows it"), Cassie's new neighbor, another member of the circle, a coven of young witches. Jessica Parker Kennedy, Phoebe Tonkin, Shelley Hennig and Thomas Dekker also star in the hour, which Liz Friedlander is directing from a script by Andrew Miller.
TITANIC (ABC, New!) - Simon Vaughn's long-in-the-works mini-series has found a U.S. broadcast home at the Alphabet. Said effort will chronicle the famous ship's maiden and final voyage through multiple points of view, using both fictional and historical characters. Production is set to begin in Hungary shortly for a premiere in April 2012 - the 100th anniversary of the boat's sinking. Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes ("Gosford Park") penned the project with ITV Studios, Lookout Point, Deep Indigo Productions, Sienna Films and Mid Atlantic Films co-producing.
VINCE UNCENSORED (CBS) - Elizabeth Perkins ("Weeds") has booked the female lead on the comedy pilot, about Vince Donohue (Michael Chiklis), "a man who decides to take a more honest approach to life after a life-altering experience." She'll play his Wife, Janet, a middle school teacher and mother to their three daughters. Kelsey Grammer is directing the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, from creator Phoef Sutton.
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[03/24/26 - 09:31 AM]
OWN's Expands the "Belle Collective" Franchise with "Belle Collective: Birmingham" Premiering on Friday, April 10
The new series will debut immediately following "Belle Collective" on April 10 and the show's season finale on April 17, before moving into the 8pm ET/PT timeslot beginning Friday, April 24.
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[03/24/26 - 09:31 AM]
Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo's Next Chapter "Raising Chelsea" Due April 2 on Disney+
An intimate three-part series following the former "Made in Chelsea" stars, Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo, as they face the messy, scary and hilarious reality of becoming parents.
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[03/24/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Devil May Cry" Season 2 - Official Teaser - Netflix
Team Dante? Team Vergil? Why choose? Season 2 premieres May 12, only on Netflix.
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[03/24/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Criminal Minds: Evolution" Returns to Paramount+ May 28 and Season 20 Greenlit for 2027
Guest stars this season include Connor Storrie, Justin Kirk, Yvette Nicole Brown, Clark Gregg, Jeri Ryan, and many more.
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[03/24/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Untold: Jail Blazers" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Volatile players. Criminal charges. National headlines. Portland's championship-caliber NBA team implodes spectacularly in this unflinching documentary.
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[03/24/26 - 08:15 AM]
ESPN to Premiere "Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN" on April 6
The documentary film tells the remarkable story behind the creation of the network that would transform sports media, following Bill Rasmussen, his son Scott Rasmussen, and their early partners as they set out to build a cable television network dedicated entirely to sports - an idea widely viewed as improbable at the time.
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[03/24/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "The Reunion: Laguna Beach" - Official Trailer - The Roku Channel
Lauren Conrad, Stephen Colletti, Kristin Cavallari, Trey Phillips, Talan Torriero, Christina Schuller, Lo Bosworth, Dieter Schmitz, Jessica Smith, Alex Hooser, and Morgan Olsen reunite to relive moments from the show that shaped a generation.
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[03/24/26 - 07:01 AM]
Frank Castle Returns in a Marvel Television Special Presentation: "The Punisher: One Last Kill" May 12, Only on Disney+
The special drops one week after the second season finale of "Daredevil: Born Again."
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[03/24/26 - 07:01 AM]
Apple TV Renews Award-Winning Space Drama "For All Mankind" for Sixth and Final Season
"Getting to explore the 'For All Mankind' universe over six seasons has been an amazing privilege, and we're thrilled to have the opportunity to finish the story the way we've always hoped," said Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi.
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[03/24/26 - 06:33 AM]
ID Exposes the Hidden Cost of Pop Stardom in Explosive New Special "Boy Band Confidential" Premiering on April 13 and 14
"Boy Band Confidential: A Hollywood Demons Event" premieres on Monday, April 13 and Tuesday, April 14 from 9-11pm ET/PT on ID.
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[03/24/26 - 06:32 AM]
Hallmark Stars Take the Stage in First-Time Multi-City Tour Experience Hallmark Stars Live
The inaugural two-week multi-city event will travel to select cities between July 22 and August 2, giving audiences the chance to celebrate a little Hallmark movie magic for an evening that's joyfully unscripted and entirely in the moment.
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[03/24/26 - 06:31 AM]
Most Valuable Promotions' Announces Eight Additional Bouts for Its Blockbuster Professional MMA Event on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, Live Globally Only on Netflix
The blockbuster event marks a major moment in combat sports as MVP and Netflix expand their footprint into MMA following the historic success of their global boxing events.
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[03/24/26 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "Bridgerton" Season 5 - Official Announcement - Netflix
Do not fret, dearest readers, for a certain countess shall find love again... "Bridgerton" Season 5 is now in production.
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[03/24/26 - 04:03 AM]
Video: "LOL: Last One Laughing Italy" Season 6 - Official Trailer - Prime Video
The new season will be available starting April 23 on Prime Video.
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[03/24/26 - 04:01 AM]
Video: "Unchosen" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Behind the closed doors of a claustrophobic British cult, a woman finds herself trapped between her suffocating marriage and an intriguing newcomer with a dark criminal past.
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