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[07/19/24 - 11:26 PM]
Development Update: Week of July 15-19
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!


ALIEN (FX on Hulu) - The upcoming eight-episode "Alien" series has been given the formal moniker of "Alien: Earth." (Variety.com, 7/17)
ALL'S FAIR (Hulu) - Halle Berry has exited the legal drama as star and executive producer "due to a scheduling conflict." (Variety.com, 7/15)
AREA 51 (CBS, New!) - Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt are set to team with Laura Moran for a single-camera comedy at the Eye which "follows the humans and Aliens that work together at the country's most mysterious place." Atomic Monster's James Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett will also executive produce for CBS Studios. (Deadline.com, 7/15)
BEDROCK (FOX) - The network is not moving forward with its "The Flintstones" animated sequel series, which was given a pilot presentation order back in March of 2023. (TVLine.com, 7/17)
CHI, THE (Showtime) - Rotimi will recur on the show's seventh season as Charles, "Pastor Ezekiel's (Daniel J. Watts) former assistant who returns to the church for a second chance." Said character was introduced in the season six finale. (Deadline.com, 7/15)
CRITICAL (Netflix, New!) - Reality producer The Garden is in production on a six-part docuseries for the streamer which is "embedded with top paramedics, doctors, nurses, and surgeons from across London." Jermaine Blake is directing for executive producer Spencer Kelly; with Rebecca Arnold and Louise Bartmann as co-executive producers Andrew Fitzpatrick and Mahi Iftikhar as producers; and Charlotte Permutt as line producer. (Deadline.com, 7/15)
CURIOUS CATERER MYSTERIES (HMC) - Filming is set to begin on a fifth installment of the movie series entitled "Drumstick Drama" with all its principal cast members returning: Nikki Deloach as Goldy Berry, Andrew Walker as Detective Tom Shultz, Lochlyn Munro as Dr. Richard Korman, Jaycie Dotin as Marla Maguire and Riley Davis as Detective Mason Kildea. (Deadline.com, 7/19)
DAY OF THE JACKAL, THE (Peacock) - Florisa Kamara has been cast in the upcoming drama as Bianca's (Lashana Lynch) daughter Jasmine. (Deadline.com, 7/18)
DAYS OF OUR LIVES (Peacock) - Ron Carlivati is stepping down as head writer of the series after seven years. He'll be succeeded by Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford. "We look forward to approaching our 60th Anniversary next year with Paula and Jeanne Marie at the helm and fresh, exciting stories that we know the fans will embrace," said executive producer Ken Corday. "We wish Ron nothing but the best and thank him for his dedication and the respect he has shown to me, the cast, and the show's legacy." (Deadline.com, 7/19)
DEATH BY LIGHTNING (Netflix) - Laura Marcus will portray Mollie Garfield opposite Michael Shannon in the upcoming period drama. (Deadline.com, 7/19)
GEORGIE & MANDY'S FIRST MARRIAGE (CBS) - Zoe Perry, Raegan Revord and Annie Potts will reprise their "Young Sheldon" roles of Mary, Missy and Meemaw, respectively, on the upcoming spin-off series. Additionally, Jessie Prez and Dougie Baldwin have been cast as series regulars. Prez will play Ruben, "a long-time employee at McAllister's tire store who's less than enthusiastic about the shop's newest hire, Jim's son-in-law, Georgie." And Baldwin is Connor McAllister, "Mandy's younger brother, a talented oddball with musical prowess who still lives with his parents." (TVLine.com, 7/13; Deadline.com, 7/19)
HALO (Paramount+) - The streamer has canceled the series after two seasons. "We are extremely proud of this ambitious series and would like to thank our partners at Xbox, 343 Industries and Amblin Television, along with showrunner and executive producer David Wiener, his fellow executive producers, the entire cast led by Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief and the amazing crew for all their outstanding work. We wish everyone the best going forward," a spokesperson said in a statement to the publication. (Deadline.com, 7/18)
HARRY POTTER LIVE-ACTION SERIES (HBO) - Kathleen Jordan, one of the finalists to spearhead the upcoming Harry Potter series, signed a two-year overall deal with HBO in January. (Deadline.com, 7/15)
HIGH POTENTIAL (ABC) - Incoming showrunner Todd Harthan has signed a new multi-year overall deal with 20th Television, producer of the new series. (Variety.com, 7/19)
HOLIDAY TOUCHDOWN: A CHIEFS LOVE STORY (Hallmark Channel) - Donna Kelce is the latest face set to drop by the the holiday movie. (@hallmarkchannel, 7/13)
MORNING SHOW, THE (Apple TV+) - Aaron Pierre has scored a recurring role on the show's fourth season as Miles, "an acclaimed visual artist who moves through the circles of the New York elite." (Deadline.com, 7/15)
NCIS: ORIGINS (CBS) - Lori Petty and Bobby Moynihan are both bound for the prequel series. Petty will play "an assistant medical examiner" while Moynihan will take over as "a lead forensic analyst." (Deadline.com, 7/13)
NIGHTBEAST, THE (Amazon) - Cory Michael Smith, Michael Dorman and Miles Marthaller have been cast in the streamer's Tatiana Maslany-led pilot. Smith will star as the titular Nightbeast; with Dorman as Eric, Amy's husband; and Marthaller as Miles, Amy and Eric's son. (Variety.com, 7/18)
POKER FACE (Peacock) - Giancarlo Esposito, Katie Holmes, Gaby Hoffmann and Kumail Nanjiani are all slated to drop by the show's sophomore run. (Deadline.com, 7/16)
REGINALD THE VAMPIRE (Syfy) - The cable channel has pulled the plug in the series after two seasons. (TVLine.com, 7/15)
S.W.A.T. (CBS) - Niko Pepaj's Miguel Alfaro has been upgraded to series regular for the show's eighth season. Additionally, Annie Ilonzeh will recur in a yet-to-be-revealed role. (Deadline.com, 7/18)
SIRENS (Netflix) - Bill Camp has signed onto the limited series as Simone (Milly Alcock) and Devon's (Meghann Fahy) father Bruce DeWitt: "A former Navy man, he's Buffalo-born and bred. He has been recently diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Gruff and proud, he dreads becoming a burden to his daughters." (Deadline.com, 7/19)
SPIDER-NOIR (MGM+) - Li Jun Li has been cast as "a singer at the premier nightclub in New York" in the live-action series based on "Spider-Man Noir." (Deadline.com, 7/19)
UNTITLED RACHEL SENNOTT PROJECT (HBO) - Leighton Meester and Quenlin Blackwell will both guest on the comedy pilot in unspecified roles. (Variety.com, 7/18)
UNTITLED WILLY WONKA COMPETITION SERIES (Netflix) - Eureka Productions has been tapped to produce the Willy Wonka reality competition series following a bake-off process. The company's founders Chris Culvenor and Paul Franklin presumably will executive produce. (Deadline.com, 7/19)
WONDER MAN (Disney+) - Byron Bowers has landed a yet-to-be-revealed role on the Marvel Studios series starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. (Deadline.com, 7/15)
YOUNG SHERLOCK (Amazon) - Colin Firth has signed onto Guy Ritchie's upcoming series as Sir Bucephalus Hodge. (Deadline.com, 7/16)





  [july 2024]  
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· ALIEN: EARTH (FX ON HULU)
· ALL'S FAIR (HULU)
· AREA 51 (CBS)
· BEDROCK (FOX)
· CHI, THE (SHOWTIME)
· CRITICAL: BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH (NETFLIX)
· CURIOUS CATERER MYSTERIES (HMC)
· DAY OF THE JACKAL, THE (PEACOCK)
· DAYS OF OUR LIVES (PEACOCK)
· DEATH BY LIGHTNING (NETFLIX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· GEORGIE & MANDY'S FIRST MARRIAGE (CBS)
· GOLDEN TICKET, THE (NETFLIX)
· HALO (PARAMOUNT PLUS)
· HARRY POTTER LIVE-ACTION SERIES (HBO)
· HIGH POTENTIAL (ABC)
· HOLIDAY TOUCHDOWN: A CHIEFS LOVE STORY (HALLMARK)
· I LOVE LA (HBO)
· MORNING SHOW, THE (APPLE TV PLUS)
· NCIS: ORIGINS (CBS)
· NIGHTBEAST, THE (AMAZON)
· POKER FACE (PEACOCK)
· REGINALD THE VAMPIRE (SYFY)
· SIRENS (NETFLIX)
· SPIDER-NOIR (MGM PLUS)
· SWAT (CBS)
· WONDER MAN (DISNEY PLUS)
· YOUNG SHELDON (CBS)
· YOUNG SHERLOCK (AMAZON)





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