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[05/01/14 - 11:28 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, May 1
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!
BESSIE (HBO, New!) - Queen Latifah is set to play iconic blues singer Bessie Smith in a proposed biopic at the pay channel, which "chronicles how Smith overcame her tempestuous personal life to become one of the most acclaimed performing and recording artists of the 1920s and '30s, earning the nickname Empress of the Blues." Dee Rees (Pariah) wrote and will direct the project, which is based on the biography "Bessie" written by Chris Albertson. Latifah will also executive produce alongside Shakim Compere, Lili Fini Zanuck, Richard Zanuck, Shelby Stone and Randi Michel with Hallie Foote as co-executive producer and Ron Schmidt as producer for Flavor Unit Entertainment and the Zanuck Company. (Deadline.com)
DIG (USA/UCP; W: Gideon Raff & Tim Kring; D: S.J. Clarkson) - Regina Taylor and Omar Metwally have both booked roles on the event series, about an FBI agent stationed in Jerusalem (Jason Isaacs) who, while investigating a murder of a young female archeologist, uncovers a conspiracy 2000 years in the making. She'll play Ruth Ridell, "the U.S. ambassador to Israel who has little time for problems that Peter creates for her with the local authorities"; while he's set as Yussef Khalid, "an American who disappeared after being accused of murder." Alison Loren Sudol, Anne Heche and David Costabile also star. (THR.com)
HOW AND WHY (FX/FXP; W/D: Charlie Kaufman) - Marcella Plunkett (Dark Touch) has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, the story of a man, Goodman Hesselman (John Hawkes), who can explain how and why a nuclear reactor works, but is clueless about life. She'll play two roles, "Cynthia, a photographer at Goodman's new TV station in Murfreesboro, and Magda, Mendelson's (Michael Cera) secretary, whose day is spent in a cramped, tiny room, not much bigger than her desk." Sally Hawkins and Catherine Keener also star. (Deadline.com)
UNSTRUNG (ABC Family; W: Emily Whitesell; D: TBA) - Chanel Celaya and Sofia Mattsson are the first to be cast in the drama pilot, which explores the sexy, cutthroat, and emotional stakes of the professional world tour of tennis as brother and sister Luke and Ellie Holt compete to move up the ranks. Celaya will play the aforementioned Ellie, "an athletic, spunky beauty with great talent but not-so-great discipline"; with Mattsson as Ninotchka Andropov, "a diva ranked 3rd in the world but first in looks." (THR.com)
UNTITLED ANDY ST. CLAIR/PAUL O'TOOLE PROJECT (MTV, New!) - Andy St. Clair and Paul O'Toole have scored a cast-contingent pilot order from the network for a new comedy about "22-year-old Andy, who after he catches his girlfriend cheating, accidentally rear-ends a celebrity. Taking pity on Andy, the celebrity takes it upon himself to teach him how to man up." Odenkirk Provissiero's Marc Provissiero will executive produce the project with St. Clair and O'Toole serving as co-executive producers. (THR.com)
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Brian Percival has bowed out of helming the AMC drama pilot "Knifeman" for personal reasons (Deadline.com); "Nashville" executive producer R.J. Cutler has signed a first-look development deal with CBS Television Studios for scripted projects, ending his run at Lionsgate Television (Deadline.com); Kristin Chenoweth has been cast as Maleficent in Disney Channel's "Descendants," "who butts horns with her daughter Mal (Dove Cameron)" (Deadline.com); Nestor Serrano and Brit Morgan will both recur on the new season of "Graceland" (TVLine.com); and Tyler Hilton is bound for the upcoming CBS drama "Extant" as "the chief coder on the Humanichs Project at the center of the story" (THR.com).
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[09/20/19 - 01:12 PM]
New Season of E!'s Transformational Reality Series "Botched" Premieres Tuesday, November 5 at 10PM ET/PT
Plus: see the most outrageous show moments, mind-blowing transformations, and over-the-top patients of the entire series on the "Most Outrageous Patients Special" airing Tuesday, October 29.
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[09/20/19 - 10:57 AM]
Netflix Adapts Tony Award-Winner Jason Robert Brown's Broadway Musical 13 Into a Family Film
Following a move from New York City to small-town Indiana, young Evan Goldman grapples with his parents' divorce, prepares for his impending Bar Mitzvah, and navigates the complicated social circles of a new school.
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[09/20/19 - 10:09 AM]
Animal Planet Acquires Worldwide Television Rights to Documentary Film "Watson"
The film chronicles Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson, who has spent his life sailing the globe to keep our oceans and their inhabitants safe.
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[09/20/19 - 09:59 AM]
Ryan Seacrest Returns as Host of Iconic Singing Competition Series "American Idol"
He reunites with previously announced music industry legends and all-star judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, as well as in-house mentor, Bobby Bones.
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[09/20/19 - 09:22 AM]
Lifetime Commits to Two More Seasons of "Married at First Sight" for 2020
"Married at First Sight" season 10 will take place in Washington, D.C. and premieres New Year's Day, January 1, 2020.
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[09/20/19 - 09:01 AM]
The Premiere Episode of New CBS Comedy "The Unicorn" to Get Early Multiplatform Preview Beginning Today
The premiere episode may be seen across CBS.com, the CBS mobile app, Amazon Prime Video Channels, Apple TV channels on the Apple TV app, and Roku ahead of its broadcast premiere on Thursday, September 26.
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[09/20/19 - 08:43 AM]
Travel Channel Set to Premiere Landmark Live Ghost Hunt From One of America's Oldest and Most Haunted Cities - Salem, Massachusetts - on Friday, October 4
The all-star team includes Jack Osbourne and Katrina Weidman ("Portals to Hell"), Amy Bruni, Adam Berry and Chip Coffey ("Kindred Spirits"), Dalen Spratt, Juwan Mass and Marcus Harvey ("Ghost Brothers: Haunted Houseguests"), Dave Schrader and Cindy Kaza ("The Holzer Files").
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[09/20/19 - 08:31 AM]
Netflix Renews "GLOW" for a Fourth and Final Season
The streaming service broke the news on social media this morning.
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[09/20/19 - 08:16 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC Tops Viewers, Shares Demo Crown with CBS, FOX
Preliminary results see the Alphabet holding onto the top spot last night.
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[09/20/19 - 08:04 AM]
Video: "Fractured" - Official Trailer - Can You Solve the Mystery? - Netflix
Sam Worthington and Lily Rabe star in the streaming service's latest original movie, due on Friday, October 11.
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[09/20/19 - 07:44 AM]
Video: "Rotten" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
The series returns Friday, October 4 with six new unsavory truths about the underbelly of the global food industry.
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[09/20/19 - 06:56 AM]
HGTV Adds David Bromstad and Tyler Florence to Its Lineup of Special Guest Stars on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
The HGTV spin on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is scheduled to air in early 2020.
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[09/20/19 - 06:05 AM]
Video: "The Crown" Season 3 - Teaser Trailer - Netflix
The new season, starring Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II, arrives November 17.
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[09/20/19 - 04:09 AM]
Video: "Baby" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
The series returns on Friday, October 18 with new characters, tough decisions and fresh secrets.
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[09/19/19 - 03:59 PM]
HBO Max Confirms Production on Film Adaptation of Critically Acclaimed Novel "UNpregnant"
Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira will star in the project, to be directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg.
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