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[07/15/16 - 11:41 PM]
Development Update: July 14-15
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!


AMERICAN GODS (Starz) - Dane Cook is the latest to board the pay channel's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's acclaimed fantasy novel. He'll play Robbie, who "promises to hold Shadow's (Ricky Whittle) job for him while he's in prison. Robbie is married to Audrey, best friend to Shadow's wife Laura (Emily Browning), and he provides another shoulder for Laura to cry on while Shadow is away." (Deadline.com)
CITIZEN (Hulu) - Amanda Plummer (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) has scored a role on the drama pilot. She's set as Kollias, "a shifty desperado who enjoys playing fast and loose with people's comfort levels." (Deadline.com)
FAMOUS IN LOVE (Freeform) - Charlie DePew ("The Goldbergs") has been cast in the upcoming drama, which follows ordinary college student Paige (Bella Thorne) as she gets her big break after auditioning for the starring role in a Hollywood blockbuster. He's set as Jake, "a down-to-earth guy from the Midwest with an edge who aspires to be a screenwriter/indie filmmaker." Said role was played by Jesse Henderson in the original pilot. (Deadline.com)
HANDMAID'S TALE, THE (Hulu) - Max Minghella and Ann Dowd are the latest additions to the upcoming drama, based on Margaret Atwood's bestselling novel. He'll play Nick, "a Guardian in Gilead, the totalitarian theocracy that has taken over America. Living in Commander Waterford's house, working as his driver, he makes a connection with Offred (Elisabeth Moss), although she's unsure whether he's an Eye, working for the secret police." Dowd then is set as Aunt Lydia, "head of the Red Center, where she indoctrinates handmaids into the Gilead system. She trains them, by any means necessary, for their role as ritualized sexual servants in the homes of Commanders, the elite of Gilead." (Deadline.com)
IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, THE (HBO) - Rose Byrne is set to star opposite Oprah Winfrey in the original movie. She'll play Rebecca Skloot, "a young journalist who, in her efforts to tell the story of Henrietta Lacks and her 'immortal' cells, forms a close bond with Deborah, Henrietta's charismatic, complicated daughter, played by Winfrey." (Deadline.com)
LAW & ORDER: TRUE CRIME (NBC) - Franchise mainstay Rene Balcer has been tapped to write, executive produce and serve as showrunner of the upcoming eight-episode anthology series. Dick Wolf, Peter Jankowski and Arthur W. Forney also serve as executive producers. (Deadline.com)
MACGYVER (CBS) - Sandrine Holt ("Mr. Robot") has joined the cast of the revamped series. She'll play Patricia Thornton, "an ex-field agent turned director of operations for DXS (Department of External Services). She doesn't let the title 'Boss' stand in her way and is always willing to join the team in the field - meaning that she's not going to let those under her have all the fun." (Deadline.com)
ONCE UPON A TIME (ABC) - Giles Matthey has been cast as Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams, in the new season. Said role is billed as "a quick-witted and insightful god, who is equally good at reading people as he is at hiding his own agenda. His ability to guide others through the world of dreams should come in handy in his interaction with Belle, who is currently under a sleeping curse." (TVLine.com)
ROADSIDE PICNIC (WGN America) - Felisha Terrell ("Survivor's Remorse") has been tapped as the female lead on the book-turned-drama pilot, which "explores a near-future world where aliens have come and gone, leaving humankind to explore the wondrous and dangerous mysteries left behind." She'll play Red's (Matthew Goode) wife Guta, "a tough, street-wise woman who never fell to the trappings of her beauty. She tries her best to normalize their family life in the complicated situation they are dealt with." (Deadline.com)
TOUR DE PHARMACY (HBO, New!) - Andy Samberg ("7 Days in Hell") is back in business with the pay channel for a new sports mockumentary, which "will take a look into the rampant doping in the world of professional cycling." Samberg will co-star alongside Daveed Diggs, Julia Ormond, Phylicia Rashad, Will Forte, Dolph Lundgren, John Cena, Mike Tyson and Nathan Fielder. Jake Szymanski will direct and co-executive produce from a script by Murray Miller with Legends of Sport's Miller, Samberg and David Bernad executive producing. M. Elizabeth Hughes will also produce. (Deadline.com)
TROPICANA (Amazon) - Director Susanne Bier ("The Night Manager") is in talks to helm the drama pilot, "set in pre-revolutionary Cuba in and around the world of the Tropicana nightclub. With the club as a focal point, the series explores the intersection of entertainers, the mob, Batista loyalists, Castro revolutionaries and the American CIA." Separately, Jeff Melvoin has signed on as showrunner. (Deadline.com)





  [july 2016]  
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· AMERICAN GODS (STARZ)
· CITIZEN (HULU)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FAMOUS IN LOVE (FREEFORM)
· GOLDBERGS, THE (ABC)
· HANDMAID'S TALE, THE (HULU)
· IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, THE (HBO)
· LAW & ORDER TRUE CRIME (NBC)
· MACGYVER (CBS)
· MR. ROBOT (USA)
· NIGHT MANAGER, THE (AMAZON)
· ONCE UPON A TIME (ABC)
· ROADSIDE PICNIC (WGN)
· SEVEN DAYS IN HELL (HBO)
· SURVIVOR'S REMORSE (STARZ)
· TOUR DE PHARMACY (HBO)
· TROPICANA (AMAZON)





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