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[02/24/12 - 11:42 PM]
Development Update: Friday, February 24
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!


1600 PENN (NBC) - Bill Pullman and Brittany Snow are the latest additions to the pilot, a single-camera comedy about a dysfunctional First Family where Skip (Josh Gad), the out-of-control oldest son, returns home and becomes not only it's biggest liability but also the glue holding everyone together. He'll play the President, Dale Gilchrist ("confident, heroic ex-Marine; believes we each create our own destiny; craves competition"), while she's set as eldest daughter Becca ("overachiever and perfectionist who puts a ton of pressure on herself; helped raise her siblings"). Jon Lovett, Josh Gad and Jason Winer co-created the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, which Winer will direct from a teleplay by Lovett. (Deadline.com)


666 PARK AVENUE (ABC) - Dave Annable ("Brothers & Sisters") has booked the male lead on the drama pilot, about Jane Van Veen and Henry Martin, a young couple who accept an offer to manage a historic apartment building in New York City where they begin to experience supernatural occurrences. He'll play Henry in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which also features Terry O'Quinn as Gavin Doran, the building's owner. Alex Graves is directing from a script by David Wilcox based on the book by Gabriella Pierce. (Deadline.com)


AMERICAN JUDY (ABC) - Elaine Hendrix ("90210") has scored a role on the Judy Greer-led comedy pilot, about a cosmopolitan woman who gets married and becomes a fish out of water in the suburbs having to juggle stepkids, her mother-in-law (Mimi Kennedy) and the ex-wife of her husband. She'll play The Sheriff, the ex-wife in said equation ("40, busty & blonde"), who's - you guessed it - the town's sheriff. Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont and Greer herself co-created the ABC Studios-based half-hour, to be directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. (Deadline.com)


ANTICHRIST (ABC) - Veteran character actor Martin Landau has been cast in the drama pilot, about Carter Henderson (Max Thieriot), an astrophysics grad student who, after his father is killed, learns that he is the chosen one to destroy the forces of evil. He'll play Mister Armin, a blind World War II veteran and the executor Carter's father's estate. Gabriella Wilde and Yaya DaCosta co-star in the ABC Studios-based project, from co-creators Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser. (Deadline.com)


BAD GIRLS (NBC) - Rick Gonzalez and Zoe Boyle are both set to join the cast of the drama pilot, which follows the ins and outs of a group of unlikely women at Santa Del Mar Women's Federal Correctional Institute. He'll play Troy Thayer, a buff correctional officer who's the object of lust among the inmates; while she's on board as Cate Patterson, a pretty, naif single mother who takes a job as a nurse at the prison. Nancy Marie Pimental penned the hour for the Warner Bros. Television-based John Wells Productions. Jurnee Smollett also stars. (Deadline.com)


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (ABC) - Scottish actor/singer Darius Campbell has booked one of the title roles on the pilot, a drama set in the mythical city of Kendan where its princess, Grace, is tasked with quelling a rebellion. He'll play the beast, Shiro ("features a bit like a bull, a bit like a wolf; but the eyes... there's nothing animal about them"), once the Holy Protector to the Emperor, now a mercenary for the rebels. Chris Egan also stars in the ABC Studios-based hour, from director Yves Simoneau and writer Jonathan E. Steinberg. (Deadline.com)


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (The CW) - Nina Lisandrello and Nicole Gale Anderson are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about Catherine Chandler (Kristin Kreuk), a police detective who teams with Vincent Koslow (yet to be cast), a genetically altered Afghanistan war veteran to solve crimes in New York City. The former will play Tess O'Malley ("all the brass and sass that comes from being in a family of cops"), Catherine's partner and friend; while Anderson is set as Heather, Catherine's younger sister/roommate. Austin Basis also stars in the hour, from CBS Television Studios and co-creators Sherri Cooper and Jennifer Levin. Gary Fleder is directing. (Deadline.com)


BEN FOX IS MY MANNY (FOX) - Lucy Punch ("Bad Teacher") has scored a role on the single-camera comedy pilot, about Kate (Abby Elliott), an uptight single mom whose aimless brother Ben moves in to help her raise her five-year-old daughter, Maddie (Maggie Jones). She's on board as BJ, Kate's co-worker and friend. Echo Kellum also stars in the Dana Fox-penned half-hour, to be directed by Jake Kasdan for 20th Century Fox Television. (Deadline.com)


DO NO HARM (NBC) - Michael Esper has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Jeffrey Kohn (Steven Pasquale), a brilliant neurosurgeon who wrestles with his dangerous alter ego, Ian Price, who threatens to wreak havoc on his personal and professional life. He'll play Alex Jordan ("30s, prick"), Jeffrey's rival at the hospital. Also starring in the Universal Television-based hour are Alana De La Garza, Mousa Kraish and Ruta Gedmintas. Michael Mayer is helming off a script by David Schulner. (Deadline.com)


THE FAMILY TRAP (ABC) - Erinn Hayes ("Childrens Hospital") has joined the cast of the Mandy Moore-led comedy, about "newlyweds Annie (Moore) and Ben who get the opportunity of a lifetime to run a hip, new restaurant in Annie's hometown bringing her closer to her needy and high maintenance family." She'll play Annie's beautiful lesbian sister in the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, from co-creators Bob Fisher and Stacy Traub. Shawn Levy is directing the single-camera project. (Deadline.com)


THE FRONTIER (NBC) - Clancy Brown, Mustafa Shakir and Chaske Spencer have all landed roles on the pilot, a period drama about a diverse group of people who set out from Missouri on an incredible adventure across the western landscape to Oregon in the 1840. Brown is on board as Jack Ramsay ("British, enigmatic, secretive"), the wagon Captain who butts heads with Cooper (Jake McLaughlin); with Shakir as Rossignol, Emily's (Gina Bramhill) fiancé, and Spencer as Nico ("earnest and Raphaelian"), the group's resident cook who's traveling with his fragile and more complicated sister, Luisa (yet to be cast). Al Weaver, Bridget Regan, Erik Jensen, Ethan Embry and Megan Ferguson also star in the Sony Pictures Television-based hour, from Shaun Cassidy and Thomas Schlamme. (Deadline.com, THR.com)


THE GILDED LILYS (ABC) - Matt Long, Brigid Brannagh and Maury Sterling have all scored roles on the pilot, a period drama revolving around the family who owns New York's first true luxury hotel, the staff who work there and the people who pass through. Long is on board as John Kidd ("20's, a lower-class survivor of Scottish descent"), whose adventurous spirit and romantic soul captures the heart of Violet Langton Lily (Sarah Bolger), who's engaged to a wealthy family friend. Brannagh then is set as Violet's mother, Elizabeth Langton Lily, who's risen from Upper Middle Class to High Society with hidden claws; while Sterling will play Jasper Kravetz ("20's, a sharp-tongued shit-stirrer"), a hotel footman. Blythe Danner and Brían F. O'Byrne also star in the ABC Studios-based hour, from writer K.J. Steinberg and director Brian Kirk. (Deadline.com)


GOOD VIBES (MTV) - The cable channel has pulled the plug on the animated comedy, about "transplanted Jersey boy Mondo (Josh Gad) and his best bud Woodie (Adam Brody) as they surf the biggest waves, hit the wildest parties and chase the prettiest girls in Play Del Toro - a colorful California beach community." Primetime airings of the series averaged a modest 953,000 viewers and a 0.5 rating among adults 18-49 on Thursday nights, well short of its lead-in "Beavis and Butt-Head" (1.637 million viewers, 0.9 rating among adults 18-49 in prime airings). Originally a pilot for FOX during the 2008-09 season, the half-hour eventually found a home at MTV earlier this season. (Deadline.com)


THE GOODWIN GAMES (FOX) - Felisha Terrell ("Days of Our Lives") has booked a role on the comedy pilot, about three siblings - Henry (Scott Foley), Coney (Becki Newton) and Jimmy (yet to be cast) - who must heed to the idiosyncratic terms of their father's will to inherit his fortune. She'll play Lucinda Hobbes, the attractive minister of the church who used to date - and was dumped by - Henry. Carter Bays, Craig Thomas and Chris Harris are all behind the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, to be directed by Peyton Reed. (Deadline.com)


LIVING LOADED (FOX) - Sugar Lyn Beard has booked the final principal role on the comedy pilot, about Dan Deegan (Mike Vogel), a hard-partying blogger who changes his ways when he goes to work at his father's (Donald Sutherland) radio station. She'll set as Dan's pal Maureen ("a blue collar Megan Mullaly") in the project, which also stars Michael Marc Friedman, Larry Wilmore, Anna Maria Horsford and Kaitlyn Black. Rob McElhenney and Rob Rosell penned the script for FX Productions. (Deadline.com)


THE NEW NORMAL (ABC) - James Earl III and Amanda Crew have both been cast in the comedy pilot, about a group of twentysomethings in the suburbs of Seattle, "a mecca for the folks who have happily put on the cruise control of life." Earl is set as Oliver, an aspiring sex addict and Andrew's (the previously cast Nick Kocher) long-time best friend. Crew then will play Sam, who "wears the balls and the brains in this crew." Adam Sztykiel is behind the single-camera project, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television. (Deadline.com)


NEXT CALLER PLEASE (NBC) - Joy Osmanski ("Allen Gregory") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about a mismatched duo - Stella (Collette Wolfe) and Cam (yet to be cast) - who host a relationship call-in show in New York City. She's set as Winnie Hyde ("total fan-girl, pigtails, crazy eyes, wearing something weird like a vintage dress over a t-shirt, basically: intense"), the producer of said program, "Orbit Lifestyle." Writer Stephen Falk and director Marc Buckland are behind the single-camera project, which is based at Lionsgate Television. (Deadline.com)


OH F---, IT'S YOU (CBS) - Bryan Greenberg and Ryan Gaul have both been cast in the pilot, a multi-camera comedy about a notorious womanizer who, after surviving a health scare, realizes that "the one" is his ex-turned-gal pal/business partner (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), who's already engaged to a nice guy. They'll play the said fellows: Nick Miller ("good looking in an easy-going kind of way") and Warren Culp ("Wendy's kind, unassuming fiancé"), respectively. Greg Grunberg also stars as Charlie, Nick's best guy friend. Greg Berlanti and Greg Malins are behind the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, to be directed by James Burrows. (Deadline.com)


OVER AND OUT (A.K.A. UNTITLED MARTIN LAWRENCE PROJECT) (CBS) - The Eye has greenlit production on a pilot for its Martin Lawrence-led comedy, which will now revolve around "a widowed father of two teenagers who, after losing his job in construction, decides to go to the police academy and become a cop at the age of 46." Mike Lisbe and Nate Reger ("How to Be a Gentleman") are behind the multi-camera project, which was selected after the network chose to pass on efforts specifically written for Lawrence by Tom Hertz and Larry Wilmore. CBS Television Studios is producing. (Deadline.com)


REVOLUTION (NBC) - Graham Rogers, Tracy Spiradakos and Anna Lise Phillips are all the first to be cast in the drama pilot, about a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist. Rogers and Spiradakos will play siblings Danny ("bright, capable") and Charlie ("luminescent with curiosity") while Phillips is set as Maggie, the no-nonsense village doctor. Writer Eric Kripke and director Jon Favreau are behind the hour, which is set up at the Warner Bros. Television-based Bad Robot Productions. (Deadline.com)


WHITE VAN MAN (ABC) - Edi Gathegi and Johnny Pemberton are the latest to board the comedy pilot, about Jack (Kyle Bornheimer), a man who is forced to put his business dreams on hold in order to take over the family handyman business from his father, Tony (Kyle Bornheimer). Gathegi will play Darren ("glasses, skater shorts and a hoodie, brilliant and couldn't care less"), one of Tony's workers; while Pemberton is set as Mason ("a young Josh Gad with wild hair, tiny mustache"), Tony's teen nephew. Michael Fresco is directing the ABC Studios-based half-hour from a script by Bobby Bowman. (Deadline.com)






  [february 2012]  
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· 1600 PENN (NBC)
· 666 PARK AVENUE (ABC)
· 90210 (CW)
· ALLEN GREGORY (FOX)
· AMERICAN JUDY (ABC)
· AWESOMETOWN (ABC)
· BAD GIRLS (NBC)
· BEAUTY & THE BEAST (ABC)
· BEAUTY & THE BEAST (CW)
· BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD (MTV)
· BEN & KATE (FOX)
· BROTHERS & SISTERS (ABC)
· CHILDRENS HOSPITAL (ADULT SWIM)
· DARK HORSE (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DO NO HARM (NBC)
· FAMILY TOOLS (ABC)
· FAMILY TRAP, THE (ABC)
· FRONTIER, THE (NBC)
· GILDED LILYS, THE (ABC)
· GOOD VIBES (MTV)
· GOODWIN GAMES, THE (FOX)
· HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN (CBS)
· LIVING LOADED (FOX)
· NEXT CALLER (NBC)
· OH FUCK, IT'S YOU (CBS)
· OVER AND OUT (CBS)
· REVOLUTION (NBC)





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