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[02/12/13 - 11:28 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, February 12
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!

BLOODLINES (NBC) - Skyler Samuels ("The Nine Lives of Chloe King") has booked the lead role on the drama pilot, about Bird Benson, "a smart, irreverent and strong young girl who, due to an accident of birth, finds herself caught in the middle of an epic struggle between two warrior families set against the backdrop of modern suburbia." Writer David Graziano and director Peter Berg are behind the Universal Television-based hour, which also stars Jonathan Banks. (Deadline.com)

DADS (FOX) - Tommy Dewey ("The Mindy Project") has been tapped for a lead role on the comedy pilot, about two successful video game developers - family man Warner and perpetually single Eli - who have their lives turned upside down when their nightmare dads unexpectedly move in with them. He'll play the former role, a married father of two. Brenda Song also stars in the multi-camera project, from 20th Century Fox Television and executive producers Alec Sulkin, Seth MacFarlane and Wellesley Wild. (TVLine.com)

DELIRIUM (FOX) - Billy Campbell ("The Killing") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about a world where love is deemed illegal and can be eradicated with a special procedure. He'll play, Thomas Fineman ("laser-white teeth, John Boehner tan"), the President of the DFA (Deliria Free America), a lobby group that supports said efforts. Emma Roberts also stars in the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, from writer Karyn Usher and based on the books by Lauren Oliver. (Deadline.com)

HATFIELDS & MCCOYS, THE (NBC) - Virginia Madsen ("Hell on Wheels") is likewise the first to board the drama pilot, about a startling death that re-ignites the feud between the legendary families in present-day Pittsburgh. She's set as Eloise McCoy, "a self-made woman who, despite her seemingly calm demeanor, is an extremely vengeful and calculated woman who will do anything for her family. After her husband is murdered, she very carefully manipulates her son into taking revenge on the Hatfields." Michael Mayer is helming the ABC Studios-based hour off a script by John Glenn. (Deadline.com)

LIST, THE (FOX) - Richard T. Jones and Charity Wakefield are the first to board the drama pilot, about a U.S. Marshal who leads the hunt for the person who stole a file with the secret identities of every member of the Witness Security Program. He'll play Elston Rayburn, a Special Agent for the FBI who gets sucked into the search; while she's set as Delilah, a conniving charmer and a deadly international operator. 20th Century Fox Television is behind the project, from writer Paul Zbyszewski and director Ruben Fleischer. (THR.com)

MOM (CBS) - Newcomer Sadie Calvano is the latest to be cast in the comedy pilot, about Christy (Anna Faris), a newly sober single mom who tries to pull her life together as a waitress in Napa Valley. She'll play her 16-year-old daughter, Violet, in the Warner Bros. Television-based project, which also stars Allison Janney, Blake Garrett Rosenthal, Matt Jones, Nate Corddry and Spencer Daniels. Pamela Fryman is directing from a script by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky and Gemma Baker. (TVLine.com)

ONION PRESENTS, THE: THE NEWS (Amazon) - Cheyenne Jackson ("30 Rock") is the latest to be cast in the pilot, a scripted comedy set behind the scenes of The Onion News Network that shows just how far journalists will go to stay at the top of their game. He'll play Cameron, a rising younger anchor who threatens the rein of veteran anchor David Everett (Jeffrey Tambor). Will Graham and Dan Mirk penned the single-camera project, to be directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson. (Deadline.com)

RAKE (FOX) - Australian actress Bojana Novakovic ("Devil") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about the chaotic and comedic life of criminal defense lawyer Keegan Joye (Greg Kinnear). She's on board as Mikki, "a smart and spunky high-priced prostitute" whom Keegan has been a client of for the past five years. Miranda Otto and Necar Zadegan co-star in the Sony Pictures Television-based project, based on Peter Duncan's Australian series of the same name. (Deadline.com)

UP ALL NIGHT (NBC) - The Peacock will reportedly film one multi-camera episode of the formerly single-camera comedy this Friday with James Burrows directing. Said installment will presumably serve as the pilot for the show's new incarnation instead of a five-episode order as previously indicated. It's not clear how the series will address the departure of co-star Christina Applegate, who announced her exit last week. Linda Wallem, who succeeded showrunners Jon Pollack and Tucker Cawley, is spearheading the current effort. (Deadline.com)

VATICAN, THE (Showtime) - Matthew Goode ("A Single Man") is the first to be cast on the drama pilot, a provocative contemporary genre thriller about spirituality, power and politics - set against the modern-day political machinations within the Catholic church. He'll play Papal Secretary Bernd Koch, "the current Pope's closest confidante, giving him a very powerful perch within the inner-circle of the Vatican." Writer Paul Attanasio and director Ridley Scott are behind the project, which is set up at Sony Pictures Television. (Deadline.com)

WEST SIDE (ABC) - Jennifer Beals ("The Chicago Code") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about a forbidden and dangerous romance that emerges between two rival families in Venice, California. She'll play Lisa Hopkins ("warm, bohemian elegance"), the matriarch of said clan. In addition, Ilene Chaiken ("The L Word") has joined the Warner Bros. Television-based hour. There she'll supervise creator Byron Balasco and serve as an executive produce alongside Peter Johnson and director McG. (Deadline.com)

AND IN OTHER NEWS... - The BBC has passed on a third season of its period drama "The Hour" (BBC.com); Shaftesbury Films has inked a first-look deal with ABC, home of the quickly defunct drama "Weird Desk" (Deadline.com); Howie Mandel has signed on to return as a judge for the upcoming season of "America's Got Talent" (AccessHollywood.com); "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" alum Dina Manzo has signed a development deal with Al Roker Entertainment to star in a potential reality series (Deadline.com); Peter Sarsgaard and Amy Seimetz are the latest to board AMC's revival of "The Killing" (Deadline.com);

Cara Buono will guest on "Castle" as "a beautiful bar owner who has found herself in too deep with the Staten Island Mafia" (TVLine.com); Anthony Ruivivar's Alex Longshadow will be upped to series regular for season two of "Banshee" (TVLine.com); James Yoshimura has joined "Homeland" as a writer/consulting producer (THR.com); and directors have been set for the pilots "The Ordained" (R.J. Cutler), "The Donor Party" (Todd Holland), "The Joneses" (S.J. Clarkson), "Gothica" (Anand Tucker) and "The Tomorrow People" (Danny Cannon), the latter of which will also executive produce (Deadline.com).




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· 30 ROCK (NBC)
· AMERICA'S GOT TALENT (NBC)
· BANSHEE (CINEMAX)
· BLOODLINES (NBC)
· CASTLE (ABC)
· CHICAGO CODE, THE (FOX)
· DADS (FOX)
· DELIRIUM (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DONOR PARTY, THE (NBC)
· GOTHICA (ABC)
· HATFIELDS & MCCOYS, THE (NBC)
· HELL ON WHEELS (AMC)
· HOMELAND (SHOWTIME)
· HOUR (BBC AMERICA)
· JONESES, THE (BRAVO)
· KILLING, THE (NETFLIX)
· L WORD, THE (SHOWTIME)
· LIST, THE (FOX)
· MINDY PROJECT, THE (FOX)
· MOM (CBS)
· NINE LIVES OF CHLOE KING, THE (ABC FAMILY)
· ONION NEWS EMPIRE (AMAZON)
· ORDAINED, THE (CBS)
· RAKE (FOX)
· REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY, THE (BRAVO)
· TOMORROW PEOPLE, THE (CW)
· UP ALL NIGHT (NBC)
· VATICAN, THE (SHOWTIME)
· WEIRD DESK (ABC)
· WESTSIDE (ABC)










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