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[04/27/11 - 11:20 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, April 27
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!
BLACK JACK (Comedy Central) - Ving Rhames has been tapped for the title role on the comedy pilot, about Black Jack (Rhames) "who, after 20 years as the most kick-ass special ops agent the U.S. government has had on its payroll, finally goes too far and is de-commissioned." Michael Starrbury penned the script while David Gordon Green is attached to direct. Rhames's casting lifts said contingency off the pilot's production. Danny McBride, Jody Hill and Matt Reilly are also executive producing alongside Green and Starrbury.
THE FIRM (NBC, New!) - eOne Television and Paramount Pictures are developing a small screen take on John Grisham's book-turned-Tom Cruise-led-feature of the same name. Lucas Reiter penned the pilot to the project, which was originally developed by CBS but stalled in the script stage. The eOne incarnation however has already been cleared for 22 episodes on Sony's AXN networks in more than 125 territories around the world with NBC in talks to carry the series domestically. As for specifics, "The Firm" will follow Mitch McDeere (Cruise in the film) and his family as they emerge from the Federal Witness Protection Program after 10 years, "determined to reclaim their lives and their future [but] soon find that past dangers are still lurking and new threats are everywhere." Casting is underway for a July production start in Canada. Grisham and Reiter are executive producing alongside John Morayniss, Michael Rosenberg and Noreen Halpern.
GAME CHANGE (HBO) - Sarah Paulson, Peter MacNicol and Justin Gaston are the latest additions to the project, a docudrama about John McCain's (Ed Harris) and Sarah Palin's (Julianne Moore) failed 2008 presidential campaign. Paulson will play McCain's senior campaign adviser Nicolle Wallace with MacNicol as McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis and Gaston as Levi Johnston, who fathered the baby of Palin's teenage daughter Bristol (Melissa Farman). Jamey Sheridan, Larry Sullivan, Ron Livingston and Woody Harrelson also star in the film, from director Jay Roach, writer Danny Strong and executive producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman.
METRO (NBC) - Oscar-winner Stephen Gaghan has signed a two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. The pact will cover his duties on the aforementioned pilot - a drama depicting a complex web of crime, policework and politics in Los Angeles, starring Jimmy Smits, Danny Pino, Noah Emmerich and Madchen Amick - should it move forward to series. He'll also develop new series projects for the studio via his Unsupervised Television banner, to be run by Suzanne Joskow. Already in the works are two efforts at FOX: a Washington, D.C. drama and an animated comedy.
NCIS (CBS) - Cote de Pablo has inked a new two-year deal to continue on the veteran Eye drama. She'll reportedly receive a significant salary bump to about $120,000 per episode - on par with the show's other female cast member, Pauley Perrette - as well as a sizable cash bonus. Said development means all the show's principal cast members - de Pablo, Perrette, Sean Murray, Michael Weatherly, David McCallum and Mark Harmon - are locked up for next season.
THE OFFICE (NBC) - Former co-executive producers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg have inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with ABC Studios. The duo, who penned the upcoming Justin Timberlake/Cameron Diaz feature "Bad Teacher," will develop new projects for the studio via their Quantity Entertainment banner.
UNDERCOVER BOSS (CBS) - A half-hour companion series - "featuring updates on the CEOs and employees, as well as previously unseen footage" - is reportedly being shopped as part of the show's off-network package by CBS Television Distribution. Said run is being targeted for a fall 2012 bow on both cable business news outlets as well as general entertainment channels. Production is underway on a pilot for the series with Stephen Lambert executive producing via his Studio Lambert banner.
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[08/03/26 - 11:54 AM]
Amazon MGM Studios Orders "DINKS" to Series from Marta Kauffman's Okay Goodnight, in Pioneering Deal with Lionsgate and Publicis Media Content Innovation
Real-life married couple June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer star in and executive produce the series, with Jon Gabrus set as a series regular.
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[08/03/26 - 11:03 AM]
Ben Affleck and Jamie Ding Score Best Audience in a Year with Million-Dollar Win on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"
The July 29 episode rose from last week's season premiere with 4.22 million viewers.
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[08/03/26 - 10:02 AM]
Shudder's Cult-Favorite Series "The Creep Tapes" Returns with a Two-Episode Premiere Tuesday, September 15
The six-episode season of the cult-favorite franchise features guest stars including Kate Siegel, Nic Hamilton, Elliott Fulham and Duplass' daughter, Ora Duplass, who will star in a throwback episode.
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[08/03/26 - 09:46 AM]
"In Pursuit: Lessons of American Leadership" Premieres Tuesday, October 27, 2026 on PBS
Based on More Perfect's groundbreaking In Pursuit initiative, the film weaves together new interviews and archival material with documentary storytelling to explore what we can learn from the past to inform a more perfect union.
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[08/03/26 - 09:15 AM]
V/H/S Cranks Up the Volume with New Installment "V/H/S/Mixtape" Streaming on Shudder October 9, 2026
Featuring all-new segments from legendary filmmaker Ernest Dickerson, hip-hop icon RZA, visionary director David Moreau, and acclaimed filmmaker Renee Zhan, whose segment includes original puppets by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
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[08/03/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi" - Final Trailer - Aug. 5 on Disney+ & Hulu
Beyond light and dark lies a power never seen before.
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[08/03/26 - 09:00 AM]
The CW Network Renews Unscripted Hit Series "Scrabble," "Trivial Pursuit" and "Police 24/7"
The second seasons of "Trivial Pursuit" aAnd "Scrabble" continue on The CW this fall with new episodes debuting on Thursday, October 1.
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[08/03/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Outer Banks" Season 5 - Official Podcast Trailer Debut & Announcement
Hosted by longtime OBX fan and podcaster Ria Ciuffo, the series dives into the cast, characters, and the cultural phenomenon that has captivated audiences for years.
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[08/03/26 - 07:23 AM]
New True Crime Series "Somebody Knows Something" Premieres Monday, Aug. 10, on Freeform and Streams Next Day on Hulu
"Somebody Knows Something" follows true crime influencer Kara Chamberlain as she investigates unsolved murders and missing persons cases that have stumped law enforcement and haunted internet sleuths for decades.
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[08/03/26 - 07:04 AM]
Meet the Minds Behind the Magic: "Disney Worldbuilders" Premieres August 20 on Disney+
Academy Award- and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks sits down with Bob Iger, James Cameron, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige, Jennifer Lee, Pete Docter, Dave Filoni, Jared Bush and Josh D'Amaro - with a look at new worlds on the way.
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[08/03/26 - 06:01 AM]
Netflix Sets On-Air Team for First-Ever Regular Season NFL Game in Australia
Live from the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 10 at 8:35 PM ET (September 11 at 10:35 AM AEST), Netflix will broadcast the Week 1 matchup, featuring the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Los Angeles Rams.
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[08/02/26 - 05:16 PM]
Seo Kangjun and Ahn Eun-jin Explore Love, Temptation, and Complexities of Long-term Relationships in Prime Video's "A Love Other Than Yours"
The series explores the fragile line between comfort and passion, and whether choosing each other after ten years is an act of love, habit, or survival.
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[07/31/26 - 01:03 PM]
ABC News Wins Across Late Night, Sunday Morning and Friday Night in Total Viewers and Key Adult Demos
Season to date, "Nightline" is up in Total Viewers versus the same point last season.
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[07/31/26 - 10:37 AM]
ESPN and Fanatics Studios Announce Second Edition of "Fanatics Fest: All Access" to Debut on August 4 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
The second installment of the special offers unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Fanatics Fest, the premier sports, entertainment and culture 4-day event that recently brought together the biggest names in sports, music, comedy and entertainment.
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[07/31/26 - 10:01 AM]
Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" Three-Part Reunion Begins Sunday, Aug. 9 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Host Andy Cohen sits down with Porsha Williams, Phaedra Parks, Drew Sidora, Shamea Morton Mwangi, Kelli Potter, Angela Oakley, K. Michelle, Pinky Cole and friend Cynthia Bailey as they unpack the season's biggest moments, clear up the rumors and confront some surprising revelations.
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