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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!
BLOODLINES (NBC/Universal; W: David Graziano; D: Peter Berg) - Veteran character actor Tzi Ma has been cast in the drama pilot, about Bird Benson (Skyler Samuels), a smart, irreverent and strong young girl who finds herself caught in the middle of an epic struggle between two warrior families. He'll play Charles Hwang, her paternal grandfather who mentors her to be his "bird of vengeance." Chris Zylka, Jonathan Banks, KaDee Strickland, Skyler Samuels and Tom Everett Scott also star. (Deadline.com)
DADS (FOX/20th; W: Alec Sulkin & Wellesley Wild; D: Mark Cendrowski) - Seth Green and Erin Pineda will round out the cast of the multi-camera pilot, about two successful video game developers - family man Warner (Tommy Dewey) and perpetually single Eli - who have their lives turned upside down when their nightmare dads (Martin Mull, Peter Riegert) unexpectedly move in with them. Green will play the aforementioned Eli with Pineda as Camilla née Katherine, Warner's wife with whom he has a four-year-old son and one-year-old daughter. Brenda Song and Tonita Castro also star. (Deadline.com)
HOLDING PATTERNS (NBC/Universal; W: Justin Spitzer; D: TBA) - Nelson Franklin ("New Girl") has been cast in the comedy pilot, about a group of friends whose lives completely change after they survive a plane crash. He'll replace Robert Buckley as the groom's (Humphrey Ker) friend Chad Kirk ("good-looking, a little slick"), a romance novelist. Chyler Leigh, Kate Lang Johnson and Luka Jones also star in the multi-camera project. (Deadline.com)
IRONSIDE (NBC/Universal; W: Michael Caleo; D: Peter Horton) - Kenneth Choi ("Sons of Anarchy") is the latest to board the drama pilot, about Robert Ironside (Blair Underwood), a San Francisco police detective who's forced to find new ways of fighting crime after being paralyzed by a gunshot. He'll play Ironside's supervisor, Captain Ed Rollins, in the project, which also stars Brent Sexton, Neal Bledsoe and Spencer Grammer. (Deadline.com)
KEEP CALM AND KAREY ON (ABC/20th; W: Andrea Abbate; D: Gail Mancuso) - Rhys Darby ("How to Be a Gentleman") has landed a role on the comedy pilot, about Karey (Kelly Preston), the clean-nosed black sheep in a family of petty thieves, drug addicts and narcissists who decides to raise her prison-bound brother's kids along with her adopted black son and give them the normal lives they deserve. He's set as her English husband, Paul, in the single-camera project, which also stars Ashley Williams, Jane Seymour and Steve Talley. (Deadline.com)
MOTHER'S DAY (CBS/CTS; W: Elisa Zuritsky & Julie Rottenberg; D: TBA) - Debra Messing ("Smash") has booked the title role on the comedy pilot, about a 40-something mother of three who constantly lies to keep up with the demands of work, home and family. She'll play said woman ("perpetually stressed, pretty but can't be bothered"), Ella née Shira Miller, in the single-camera project, which is based on the Israeli series created by Daniela London-Dekel and Dana Eden. Messing's involvement is in second position to her duties on the NBC drama. (Deadline.com)
RITA (Bravo/FTVS; W: Krista Vernoff; D: Miguel Arteta) - Australian actor Rhys Wakefield is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about Rita (Anna Gunn), an outspoken private school teacher who struggles to raise her own three teenage children while dealing with the inane bureaucracy and overprotective parents at her school. She'll play her eldest son who "has a close but complex relationship with his mother." Anisha Nagarajan, Colin Salmon, Josh Hamilton, Rafi Gavron and Robbie Kay also star. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED CRAIG ROBINSON PROJECT (NBC/Universal; W: Owen Ellickson; D: Steve Pink) - Jean Smart ("Harry's Law") has signed onto the comedy pilot, about an impulsive, good-hearted musician (Craig Robinson) who adjusts to his new life as a music teacher in a big-city middle school. She'll succeed Jane Adams as Jeanette, his stressed-out junior high principal who's almost always in damage-control mode. Amanda Lund, Amandla Stenberg and Larenz Tate also star. (Deadline.com) (Deadline.com)
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Showtime's "Web Therapy" will return on Monday, July 22 at 11:00/10:00c with Steve Carell, Billy Crystal, Chelsea Handler, Megan Mullally, Sara Gilbert and Nina Garcia among those dropping by its 10 new episodes (EW.com); Steve Cragg and Brian Bradley have inked a two-year overall deal with Universal Television following a run at ABC Studios (Deadline.com); Xosha Roquemore will recur on TV Land's "Kirstie's New Show" after guest starring in the pilot (Deadline.com); Marina Sirtis will guest on "NCIS" as the show's incoming Mossad director (TVLine.com); and William Daniels will reprise his role of Mr. Feeny in Disney Channel's "Girl Meets World" pilot (TVLine.com).
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