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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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[04/21/21 - 01:44 PM]
Disney and Sony Pictures Entertainment Announce Unprecedented Post-Pay 1 Content Licensing Agreement
The deal covers theatrical releases from 2022-2026 and begins for each film following its Pay 1 TV window.
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[04/21/21 - 01:02 PM]
"Robot Chicken" Takes on Riverdale High with "The Bleepin' Robot Chicken Archie Comics Special" on May 23
In the half-hour special, Archie faces the action-packed return of Josie and the Pussycats from outer space to Riverdale in this animated comedy.
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[04/21/21 - 01:00 PM]
OWN's Peabody Award-Winning Drama "David Makes Man" Set to Premiere Tuesday, June 22nd at 9p ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
Season two finds David in his 30s (played by Kwame Patterson), a rising businessman facing an opportunity that will change him and his community forever.
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[04/21/21 - 12:00 PM]
Apple Orders "Number One on the Call Sheet," Two Groundbreaking Companion Documentaries Celebrating Black Leading Women and Men in Hollywood
Jamie Foxx, Kevin Hart, Datari Turner, Dan Cogan, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Reginald Hudlin and Bryan Smiley are among the featured auspices.
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[04/21/21 - 10:43 AM]
Hulu Originals' Series "How I Met Your Father," Starring Hilary Duff, from 20th Television Receives Straight-to-Series Order
"How I Met Your Mother" creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas will executive produce alongside Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger.
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[04/21/21 - 10:36 AM]
Disney and Pixar's New Short "22 vs. Earth" Coming to Disney+ April 30
Set before the events of "Soul," the original short is directed by 21-year Pixar veteran Kevin Nolting.
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[04/21/21 - 10:12 AM]
Julian Edelman Joins New Team at "Inside the NFL" for 2020-2021 Season
Edelman will join as an analyst when the series makes its debut on Paramount+ this September, kicking off its 43rd season on television.
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[04/21/21 - 10:01 AM]
Video: HBO Max Debuts Official Trailer and Key Art for the Max Original "The Big Shot with Bethenny," Premiering April 29
In the series, the next generation of business moguls will compete for a chance to be second-in-command to business tycoon and Skinnygirl founder Bethenny Frankel, and win a coveted position working on her executive team.
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[04/21/21 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Marvel's M.O.D.O.K." - Trailer (Official) - A Hulu Original
An egomaniacal super villain struggles to maintain control of his evil organization after it is bought by a multinational tech company, all while juggling the needs of his demanding family.
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[04/21/21 - 10:00 AM]
Tuesday's Broadcast Ratings: Repeat "NCIS" Tops Charts for CBS
The network held off the competition among total viewers last night.
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[04/21/21 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Oxygen" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After waking up in a cryogenic unit, Liz fights to survive and remember who she is before her oxygen runs out.
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[04/21/21 - 08:30 AM]
Apple Original Films Announce Multiple Sundance Award Winner "CODA" to Premiere in Theaters and on Apple TV+ on Friday, Aug. 13
Seventeen-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the sole hearing member of a deaf family - a CODA, child of deaf adults.
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[04/21/21 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Jungle Beat: The Movie" Trailer - Netflix Futures
When a lost and lonely alien crash-lands on Earth, his new crew of talking animal friends helps him get back home - and try to save the world.
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[04/21/21 - 06:01 AM]
Roku Unveils "Roku Originals" Brand, Bringing Bold, Fresh Entertainment to The Roku Channel
Content from the Quibi acquisition in January will be re-branded as "Roku Originals" and will be launched on The Roku Channel.
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[04/21/21 - 03:31 AM]
Video: Sardar Ka Grandson Welcomes You to Their Family! Netflix Launches the Trailer of the Heartwarming Film
A grandmother's last wish, a dedicated grandson, and a heartwarming journey, Netflix's upcoming film Sardar Ka Grandson promises warmth, love, and celebration of the bonds within a large Punjabi family.
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