 |
 |
[12/09/11 - 10:51 PM]
Development Update: Friday, December 9
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!
AGAINST THE WALL (Lifetime) - The cable channel has pulled the plug on the Rachael Carpani-led drama. "I'd like to thank @lifetimetv, the #AgainstTheWall writers and the Amazing fans of Against The Wall but unfortunately we've been canceled," co-star Brandon Quinn posted to his Twitter account earlier today. The show's 13-episode run averaged 1.636 million viewers and a 0.5 rating among adults 18-49, ahead of the recently axed "The Protector" (1.294 million viewers, 0.3 adults 18-49 rating in prime airings) but behind the network's staples "Army Wives" (3.615 million viewers, 1.2 adults 18-49 rating) and "Drop Dead Diva" (2.264 million viewers, 0.7 adults 18-49 rating).
THE BLUE LAGOON (Lifetime) - Neil Meron and Craig Zadan's revival of Henry De Vere Stacpoole's book-turned-feature film franchise - about "a boy and a girl marooned on a tropical island, where they grow up together, fall in love and discover sexuality" - has been greenlit by the cable channel. Lifetime originally put the project into development in March of 2004 with Heather Rutman and Matt Heller tapped to write the script. Sony Pictures Television and Judith Verno's Peace Out Productions are likewise behind the film, which Verno will executive produce alongside Storyline Entertainment's Meron and Zadan. Production is set to begin this February in Puerto Rico as casting is underway. (Deadline.com)
CELEBRITY WIFE SWAP (ABC) - The celebrity incarnation of the series is now set to premiere Monday, January 2 at 10:00/9:00c following the season premiere of "The Bachelor." "Swap" will then settle into its regular Tuesday, 9:00/8:00c slot the following night.
DREAM CITY (HBO, New!) - Eddie Murphy is on track to play Marion Barry in a biopic of the former Washington, D.C. mayor from director Spike Lee and writer John Ridley. Said effort is based on Washington journalists Tom Sherwood and Harry Jaffe's 1994 book of the same name, subtitled "Race, Power and the Decline of Washington, D.C." HBO previously optioned the book nearly a decade ago but the resulting project - starring Jamie Foxx and executive produced by Chris Rock - didn't come to fruition. Barry served four terms as mayor of D.C. despite infamously being videotaped smoking crack cocaine in a hotel room during an FBI sting operation, eventually serving six months in federal prison on a misdemeanor drug possession conviction. He currently serves on the D.C. Council, representing one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. Lee and Ridley, who are also working on the network's drama pilot "Da Brick," will also executive produce. (WashingtonPost.com)
THE MOMENT (USA, New!) - Former NFL MVP Kurt Warner is set to host a new reality series at the cable channel focusing on personal reinvention and life transformation. Charlie Ebersol and Justin Hochberg are behind the project, which is set to roll out in the second quarter of next year. The pilot was shot in Los Angeles earlier this year. No other specifics were given. (Variety.com)
THE NATE BERKUS SHOW (Syndication) - Sony Pictures Television and Harpo Studios plan to wrap the series after its current second season. "After careful consideration, we have decided that The Nate Berkus Show will not return for a third season in the fall," said the companies said in a joint statement. "We are grateful for the hard work and heart that Nate, [executive producer] Corin Nelson and their entire team have poured into the show, and we're very proud of what they've delivered." Berkus himself also released a statement saying, "I'm incredibly proud of my hard working and talented staff, and proud of the show we were able to produce every day." (BroadcastingCable.com)
A SMILE AS BIG AS THE MOON (ABC) - The Alphabet has booked its second Hallmark of Hall of Fame production for Sunday, January 29 at 9:00/8:00c. John Corbett and Jessy Schram topline the film, based on the true story of Mike Kersjes, "a high school football coach and special-education teacher who teams up with fellow teacher Robynn McKinney (Schram) to achieve an impossible dream: to take a group of special-ed children to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama." Cynthia Watros also stars as Space Camp Director Deborah Barnhardt. James Sadwith directed from a script by Tom Rickman, based on Kersjes's memoir (with Joe Layden) of the same name. Brent Shields and Dan Paulson are the executive producers.
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Diane Neal will guest on "A Gifted Man" as a defense attorney who grills Michael (Patrick Wilson) about a patient's brain tumor which he says caused him to become a firebug (TVLine.com); Alanis Morissette will turn up on NBC's "Up All Night" as a hip-hop legend from Ava's '90s band, Sound LLC (TVLine.com); Lowe's has pulled its advertising on TLC's "All-American Muslim" after "hearing the concerns we received through emails, calls, through social media and in news reports" (THR.com); plus Caspar Zafer and Nathaniel Buzolic will recur on "The Vampire Diaries" as Klaus' (Joseph Morgan) other Original brothers (TVGuide.com).
|
|
|
 [december 2011]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[03/11/26 - 01:44 PM]
Academy Award Winner Tommy Lee Jones Joins Season Two Cast of "The Lowdown" Coming to FX and Hulu
Jones joins previously announced Betty Gilpin in the next season, which begins production this spring in Tulsa.
|
[03/11/26 - 01:22 PM]
Lifetime Announces Two New "Ripped from the Headlines" Films for Spring
Nancy Travis and Stana Katic are among the featured talent.
|
[03/11/26 - 01:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Studios Signs Development Commitment with Frankie Quinones for New Comedy Series
Quiñones is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian and actor known for his viral character, "Creeper" and for starring in the Hulu comedy series "This Fool."
|
[03/11/26 - 11:30 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Women's College Basketball Regular Season Since 2008-09
ESPN networks were home to six of the top 10 women's college basketball regular season games across all networks this season and 29 of the top 30 on cable.
|
[03/11/26 - 11:01 AM]
98th Oscars Rounds Out Show Presenters
Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Ewan McGregor, Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver are all on tap.
|
[03/11/26 - 10:05 AM]
Josh Gates Returns with an All-New Season of "Expedition Files," Revealing Striking New Revelations Behind History's Biggest Mysteries
The series is returning with a brand-new season on Wednesday, April 1 at 9pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
|
[03/11/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Color Theories by Julio Torres" Debuts March 27
In his second HBO comedy special, Peabody-winner Julio Torres presents a helpful guide to understanding the world through his playful interpretations of colors.
|
[03/11/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: MLB Opening Night: Yankees vs. Giants - Official Trailer - Netflix
The 2026 Major League Baseball season leads off on Netflix, with Yankees vs. Giants in a star-studded opener live at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
|
[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Date & Cast Announcement: Hulu's "Love Overboard"
Produced by Alex Cooper's Unwell Productions and Jeff Jenkins Productions, "Love Overboard" premieres Thursday, March 26 with all nine episodes on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
|
[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Nikki Glaser Returns to Host "The 84th Annual Golden Globes" Airing Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027 on CBS and Paramount+
Glaser said, "I'm thrilled to host the Golden Globes for a third time, not only because it's the greatest gig I've ever had, but because my sister has three kids and now we will be equal in the eyes of my parents and the Lord."
|
[03/11/26 - 07:04 AM]
"#SKYKING," the Gripping New Documentary Set to Make Its World Premiere at SXSW 2026, Premieres on Hulu April 14
The feature-length documentary tells the story of Richard "Beebo" Russell, who captured the world's attention when he stole a commercial plane and took off on a flight that would come to embody the dreams and despair of the American working class, while offering a look at the US mental health crisis.
|
[03/11/26 - 07:02 AM]
New Episodes of "Rick and Morty" Premiere May 24 on Adult Swim
Get ready to portal-jump back into the multiverse - Adult Swim's #1 series returns with a season that's bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than ever.
|
[03/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Friday Night Baseball" Returns to Apple TV on March 27 for Its Fifth Season
Highlights include the storied New York Subway Series matchup between the Yankees and Mets, plus multiple appearances by reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
|
[03/11/26 - 06:47 AM]
Matt Vasgersian Joins NBC Sports as a Play-by-Play Voice for "MLB Sunday Leadoff" on Peacock and NBCSN
Vasgersian, who spent the last five years as a Los Angeles Angels TV play-by-play voice, will continue his role at MLB Network, a position he has held since its inception in 2009.
|
[03/11/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: "The Hawk" - Lonnie Hawkins Character Reveal - Netflix
One of the greatest names in golf history (that you're somehow only just hearing about), American hero Lonnie "The Hawk" Hawkins is Will Ferrell's newest original character.
|
|
|
|
