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[05/18/15 - 11:28 PM]
Development Update: Monday, May 18
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!
BLACK GUN, SILVER STAR (HBO, New!) - John Sayles (Lone Star) is spearheading a mini-series at the pay channel which "tells the story of the great Bass Reeves who escaped from slavery during the civil war, fleeing into Indian territory where he honed his firearm skills." Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary's Revelations Entertainment is behind the project, with Bay Spring Productions' James Pickens, Jr. likewise executive producing. Sayles will work from Art T. Burton's biography of the same name, subtitled "The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves." (Deadline.com)
TRINKETS (MTV, New!) - Kirsten "Kiwi" Smith's young adult novels - about "three teenage girls who meet in Shoplifter's Anonymous" - are being developed as a comedy at the cable channel. Smith and Andrea Seigel (Laggies) will pen the script with 11th Street Productions' Morgan J. Freeman and Dia Sokol Savage likewise serving as executive producers. (THR.com)
YOUNG POPE, THE (HBO, New!) - Jude Law is set to star in a new eight-episode series at the pay channel which "revolves around a fictional American pope who becomes the most conservative one the Vatican has ever seen." Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino is spearheading the project, a joint production with Sky and Canal Plus, alongside fellow writers Tony Grisoni, Umberto Contarello and Stefano Rulli. Wildside's Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani; Haut et Court TV's Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta and Simon Arnal; as well as John Lyons also serve as executive producers. The series will be shot at Cinecitta Studios in Italy. (THR.com)
2015-16 BROADCAST PILOTS... - NBC plans to recast Don Hany's character Jessie Shane on its new drama "Heartbreaker" (Deadline.com); ABC likewise is revisiting its newcomer "Wicked City" with three roles set to be cast: Jack (played by Adam Rothenberg), Trish (Holley Fain); and Diver (Darrell Britt-Gibson) (Deadline.com); and "Uncle Buck" co-creators Brian Bradley and Steven Cragg have inked a new two-year overall deal with producer Universal Television (Deadline.com).
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Donick Cary has signed a two-year overall deal with CBS Television Studios but will continue as a consulting producer on HBO's "Silicon Valley" (Deadline.com); T.R. Knight is bound for Hulu's "11/22/63" as Johnny Clayton, "a salesman in 1960s Texas who can't quite break up with his estranged wife Sadie Dunhill (Sarah Gadon), even as she falls in love with Jake (James Franco)" (Deadline.com); A.J. Michalka's Lainey Lewis has been upped to series regular on "The Goldbergs" (THR.com); Frank Whaley will recur on "Under the Dome" as "a brilliant doctor and scientist with questionable motives" (Deadline.com);
Roberto Urbina is bound for ABC Family's "Recovery Road" as "the edgy and mysterious Asa" while Mischa Barton will drop by as "a patient at another center who becomes friends with Daniel Franzese's character" (Deadline.com, People.com); Ruben Blades has officially joined the cast of "Fear the Walking Dead" as Daniel, "the father of Mercedes Mason's character" (Deadline.com); Evan Handler and Cheryl Ladd have been cast as Alan Dershowitz and Linell Shapiro on FX's "American Crime Story" (THR.com); and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" executive producer Robert Carlock has likewise signed a new two-year overall deal with Universal Television (THR.com).
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[04/24/26 - 12:00 PM]
What's New on HBO Max This May
Highlights include season two of "On The Roam," comedy special "Josh Johnson: Symphony," documentary series "U.S. Against The World: Four Years With The Men's National Soccer Team," new episode of "The Yogurt Shop Murders," and documentary "The A List: 15 Stories From Asia And Pacific Diasporas."
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[04/24/26 - 11:16 AM]
"Wuthering Heights" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max May 1
The Emerald Fennell film stars Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, whose forbidden passion for one another turns from romantic to intoxicating in an epic tale of lust, love and madness.
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[04/24/26 - 09:01 AM]
Zizians Documentary Series Set at HBO
The multi-part documentary series explores the Zizians, an enigmatic group of young technologists who garnered national attention in 2025 after law enforcement linked members of the group to a series of violent crimes across the country.
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[04/24/26 - 08:59 AM]
NBA Playoffs Return to NBC Sports Delivers Big Viewership Gains Over First Three Nights
NBC Sports' first six NBA Playoff games averaged 4.9 million viewers, up 38% vs. comparable coverage last year and the most-watched for the first Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights of the playoffs since 1994.
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[04/24/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: New Featurette - Hulu Original Series "Rivals" Season 2
Ahead of the highly anticipated second season of the Emmy and BAFTA award-winning "Rivals," Hulu has released a new recap featurette.
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[04/24/26 - 08:00 AM]
La La Anthony, Rutina Wesley, Taylor Polidore Williams, DeVaughn Nixon and Alexxis Lemire Join Season 4 of Hulu's Hit Legal Drama "Reasonable Doubt" as Recurring Guest Stars
Morris Chestnut, Joseph Sikora and Brandee Evans also return as recurring guest stars.
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[04/24/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Scooby-Doo: Origins" Starts Production in Atlanta
A modern reimagining of the iconic mystery-solving group of teens and their very special dog.
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[04/24/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Gordon" - First Look - Netflix
Based on the novel by Marcelo Larraquy, "Gordon" arrives on Netflix in 2026.
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[04/23/26 - 11:41 PM]
Prime Video Unleashes UK's Biggest Digital Stars in Highly Anticipated Comedy Reality Series, "Would You Rather: Decide to Survive"
The series will launch exclusively worldwide on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories in June 2026.
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[04/23/26 - 09:00 PM]
The Vampire Lestat's Gritty Cover of Billy Idol's Legendary Song "Dancing with Myself" Is Now Available on All Digital Platforms
AMC Global Media and Lakeshore Records released the single on the Vampire Lestat artist profile pages at major digital music services, including Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
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[04/23/26 - 03:13 PM]
"Euphoria" Season 3 Premiere Surpasses 20M Global Viewers, Up 68% vs. Season 2
Episode 2 matched the premiere with approximately 8.5 million U.S. viewers in its first three days.
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[04/23/26 - 02:50 PM]
Goal! ESPN Airs Two Most-Viewed First Round Game 2's on Cable Ever, Continuing Successful Start to 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Monday's Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins matchup (Game 2, 7 p.m. ET) delivered 1.6 million viewers and Tuesday's Boston Bruins-Buffalo Sabres matchup (Game 2, 7:30 p.m.) delivered 1.2 million viewers, setting the new Game 2 record.
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[04/23/26 - 02:02 PM]
"The Cult of Natureboy," A New Four-Part Docuseries That Offers a Raw and Unfiltered Look Inside a Modern Cult, Premieres April 28 on Hulu
In 2016, a rising social media star named Eligio Bishop, also known as "NatureBoy," used his platforms to recruit followers into a group he called Carbon Nation, encouraging them to abandon their families and join his vision of a self-proclaimed Black utopia.
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[04/23/26 - 01:03 PM]
Apple TV Sets New Comedy Series, Elizabeth Banks to Star and Executive Produce
The series is set to begin production in Los Angeles this year.
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[04/23/26 - 12:19 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched Match in LOVB Volleyball History to Cap Inaugural Season of Record Viewership on USA Network
The first Finals match on Thursday, April 16, which Salt Lake won 3-2 in a closely-contested fifth set, averaged 163,000 viewers, ranking as the most-watched LOVB game of all-time.
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