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[09/11/26 - 11:44 PM]
Development Update: Week of September 7-11
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!
CHALLENGER, THE (Amazon) - The streamer's Kristen Stewart-led Sally Ride docudrama has cast Danny Huston as William Rogers, "who led the investigation into the Challenger explosion"; Sofia D'Elia as Judy Resnik, "the fourth woman to fly in space, who died aboard the Challenger"; Paul Sparks as Larry Mulloy, "NASA SRB project manager"; Boris McGiver as William 'Bill' Lucas, "NASA official blamed for the Challenger disaster"; and Shea Whigham as Roger Boisjoly, "a mechanical engineer who strongly opposed the launch of the Challenger." (Deadline.com, 9/10)
CHICKS (Hulu) - The Ellen Pompeo/Jodie Whittaker-led drama pilot has added Jack Huston as The Clooney, "a devilishly handsome businessman who's charmed by Chickie's store and maybe her too"; Chazz Palminteri as Salvatore Mastrangelo, Sr., Chickie and Doreen's dad, "a neighborhood institution and fixer, a ladies' man with four ex-wives (not that anyone's counting), and an even bigger portfolio of small-time cons"; and Kathleen Chalfant as Aunt Sister Donna of Compassionate Trinity, "Chickie and Doreen's paternal aunt, who is mean as spit and tougher than any wise guy on the block." (Deadline.com, 9/10)
DIRTY (Amazon) - Toby Kebbell has been cast in the U.K. crime thriller as Ashley Rutherford, "a property magnate with a portfolio worth millions who stands by Mercer's side as her partner in life and crimes. But Rutherford has set his sights even higher and wants to use his money and influence to seize control of the city's corridors of power; the police, the government and beyond." (Variety.com, 9/9)
DISAVOWED (Apple TV) - Sylvia Hoeks has joined the James Marsden-led series in a yet-to-be-revealed role. (Deadline.com, 9/8)
FERAL (Netflix, New!) - Jessica Gunning will star in a darkly comedic thriller series at the streamer based on the 1987 novel by Shirley Conra: "In the series, four very different women learn to survive on a lethal tropical island after their mining exec husbands are kidnapped. The question is, can they put aside their differences, their self-doubts and their vanities to stay alive?" She'll play Annie, "a quietly dutiful wife who has sacrificed her ambitions to raise four sons under her domineering husband, Duncan." Writer Jude Mack and director Emma Freeman are behind the project with Liza Marshall and Laurie Borg also executive producing. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
FIGHT ISLAND (ESPN/Hulu, New!) - Jake and Logan Paul have landed a fight competition series at Hulu and ESPN: "Split into rival teams, coached by two rival brothers, the fighters live and train together in the wild. But the battle really begins before the fight, because fighters choose the matchups, turning every alliance, every rivalry into a strategic weapon. Jake and Logan will send the losers of each fight home until just one man and one woman are left standing to claim victory." Brent Montgomery will also executive produce for Wheelhouse Entertainment and Most Valuable Promotions. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
FIVE STAR WEEKEND, THE (Peacock) - Executive producers Sue Naegle and Ali Krug have signed an overall deal with 20th Television. Their banner Dinner Party Productions was previously set up at Universal Global Television. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
FOOD SAMURAI (Disney+, New!) - Michelin-starred chef Mory Sacko is set to be the focus of a documentary series at the streamer: "The six-episode show sees Mory, accompanied by pastry chef and friend Theó Segretin and guests such as Omar Sy, immerse himself in Japanese culture and gastronomy to unlock how to prepare the perfect bento. Alongside Lupin star Sy are other guests including multi-Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire, writer Chihiro Masui." Eric Nebot's Eagles Team Entertainment is behind the project, due on September 30. (Deadline.com, 9/7)
LEX (Hulu) - Jenny Slate will star opposite Dylan O'Brien in the comedy pilot as Holly, "the recently fired personal assistant of a murdered tech CEO, who gets sucked into a global conspiracy along with former reality star Lex (O'Brien). Using her organizational skills - and a knowledge of firearms she picked up somewhere along the way - she'll help Lex try to clear his name. If it eliminates her as a suspect, too, great!" (Deadline.com, 9/9)
MY FATHER'S SON (Netflix, New!) - Mike Epps will star in a potential live-action comedy at the streamer from Maurice Williams "inspired by the life of Chris "Comedian CP" Powell, the rising stand-up from Detroit." No other plot details were given about the project, which originated at HBO Max in 2022. The trio will also executive produce alongside Niles Kirchner, Bob Teitel, Doug Banker, and Trevor Engelson for State Street, Five All in the Fifth, and Underground. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
POWER: ORIGINS (Starz) - Aaron Dominguez is bound for the prequel series in a yet-to-be-revealed role. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
RANSOM CANYON (Netflix) - The streamer has pulled the plug on the Texas romantic drama after two seasons. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
RETRIEVALS, THE (Netflix) - Amy Ryan will star opposite Emilia Jones in the upcoming drama as Carla Russo, "a veteran nurse at Yale Fertility Center who pleads guilty to diverting vast amounts of fentanyl and diluting it with saline, forcing many patients to endure egg retrieval surgery without anesthesia." (Deadline.com, 9/11)
RJ DECKER (ABC) - Beau Bridges has been tapped to recur on the series as "the titular P.I.'s estranged father Reggie Decker." (TVLine.com, 9/9)
RUSH WHISPERER, THE (HBO, New!) - Emmy nominee Leslie Bibb is attached to star in a proposed series at the network described as "a dark comedy set in the cutthroat world of sorority recruitment." Kelly Hutchinson and Grace Parra Janney are behind the project, which has a penalty attached and is based on the article "How Much Would You Pay for Friendship? Private Rush Coaches are Selling Teens the Sorority Dream" by Grey Battle. Bibb, Hutchinson, and Janney will executive produce alongside Kristen Campo and Daniel Simon for Campout Productions and Scoop Wasserstein for New York Magazine/Vox Media Studios. Battle will serve as consulting producer. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (NBC) - Martin Herlihy is departing the series after five seasons as a writer and performer. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
TASK (HBO) - Rose Rollins and Carol Santiago have both scored roles on the new season. Rollins will play Evie Barners, "the deeply devoted wife to Eddie Barnes (Mahershala Ali)"; with Santiago as Ana Salazar, "an expectant mother and a friend to Maria (Alaide)." (Deadline.com, 9/10)
TRACKER (CBS) - Cassady McClincy Zhang's Mel will return as a regular for the series' fourth season. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
UNDERSTUDY (Netflix, New!) - Nicholas Binge's short story has been optioned for series development at the streamer with Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Steven Yeun executive producing. No details about the project were given, which is set up at their respective banners Lord Miller and Celadon Pictures, both of which have first-look deals with Netflix. Binge, Lord, Miller, Yeun, Aditya Sood, Dan Shear, and Christina Oh are the executive producers. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
UNTITLED EDGEWATER MEDICAL DRAMA (CBS) - Noah Reid will topline the proposed "Fire/Sheriff Country" universe series as Hudson "Hud" Henshaw, "the Chief of Emergency Medicine at Edgewater Memorial Hospital a/k/a "Edge Med." Charming and quick-witted, but rough-around-the-edges, Hud was born and raised in the outlaw hinterland known as Deadwater. He is the proud son of convicted felons, yet refused to take the family's drug money to pay for medical school. He is a passionate doctor who embodies his oath to "first do no harm," yet is not one to shy away from a good bar fight. A man deeply committed to the community he grew up in, he is a restless soul all the same." He'll appear in an upcoming episode of "Sheriff Country" which will serve as a soft backdoor pilot. (Deadline.com, 9/11)
VICTORIA (Hulu, New!) - Li Jun Li will star in a new erotic thriller at the streamer: "Set in the cutthroat world of San Francisco's elite, limited series Victoria follows a brilliant con artist who finds herself in a dark web of power, luxury and the crosshairs of a seductive killer who knows her secrets. Li plays Maxine Tao, a sophisticated and cunning con woman who is thrust into the seductive, high-stakes world of venture capital after a chance encounter grants her the grift of a lifetime." Writer Christy Hall and director Geeta Vasant Patel are behind the project with Lilly Burns, Elise Henderson, and Tony Hernandez also executive producing for Counterpart Studios and Onyx Collective. Li is a co-producer. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
WALKING DEAD, THE (AMC) - AMC Global Media has "entered a settlement agreement worth $120 million with 'The Walking Dead' creator Robert Kirkman and franchise producers for a breach of contract lawsuit dating from 2022." Plaintiffs also include Glen Mazzara, David Alpert, Gale Anne Hurd, and Charles Eglee. (Deadline.com, 9/8)
WARRIOR NUN (Netflix) - Simon Barry and his Reality Distortion Field banner are in final negotiations with Perfect Circle Productions "to license some of the underlying rights to the original comic book series and related IP," which could pave the way towards the franchise returning to TV. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
WILL TRENT (ABC) - Alexandra Metz has joined the cast of the show's fifth season as Birdie Palmer, "the newly appointed Deputy Director of the GBI - confident, ambitious, and razor-sharp, but deeply guarded by a life-altering event from her past. Birdie is taking over the role following the death of Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) in Season 4." (Deadline.com, 9/8)
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[09/23/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Gamechangers: Mother/Athlete" - Official Trailer - The Roku Channel
Five trailblazing WNBA players - Sheryl Swoopes, Bria Hartley, Skylar Diggins, Allison Feaster, and Natalie Achonwa - talk about the physical, emotional, and professional challenges of becoming mothers while competing at the highest level of the sport.
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[09/23/26 - 07:31 AM]
AMC Global Media's October Highlights Include "Kill Jackie," "Yaga," "V/H/S/Mixtape," "Signora Volpe" and More
Other series premieres include "Archive X: Unexplained Phenomena" and "This is Not a Murder Mystery."
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[09/23/26 - 07:26 AM]
OWN Announces October Premiere Dates for Iyanla Vanzant's Two New OWN Spotlight Specials
OWN Spotlight specials feature candid conversations and thought-provoking documentaries hosted by Oprah Winfrey and other creators, shining a light on the issues, stories, and achievements shaping Black communities.
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[09/23/26 - 07:01 AM]
Roku Launches New Live Sports Talk Series "Pregame with Matthew Berry"
Produced by Berry's Fantasy Life, "Pregame with Matthew Berry" will stream Monday through Friday from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET on The Roku Channel's Roku Sports Channel.
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[09/23/26 - 06:11 AM]
"CNBC Innovation Lab" Premieres on Saturday, September 26 at 4PM ET on CNBC
Hosted by Jon Fortt, CNBC will debut an in-depth, one-hour special, "CNBC Innovation Lab," examining how artificial intelligence is reshaping the labor market and society, particularly for younger workers entering an AI-driven world.
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[09/23/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Ray Gunn" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn (Sam Rockwell) is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder and a multimedia star named Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson).
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[09/23/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV Debuts Gripping Trailer for Season Two of Dark Comedy "Where's Wanda?"
Season two will make its global debut on Apple TV with one episode on Wednesday, October 21, followed by a new episode weekly through December 9, 2026.
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[09/23/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Masterplan" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Stealing the Mona Lisa, it's a family affair.
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[09/23/26 - 12:01 AM]
Netflix Announces Start of Production for "High Tides: The Film"
The film is the sequel to the popular series "High Tides," whose three seasons together spent over 24 weeks in the Dutch Netflix Top 10.
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[09/22/26 - 04:15 PM]
Inside the Most Daring Jewel Theft in History, "Heist at the Louvre," New Podcast from "20/20" and the ABC News Podcast Network, Premieres Monday, Sept. 28
The series unpacks how thieves were able to pull off one of the most daring jewel heists in history, with host James Longman following the investigation and its aftermath to try to answer the central question: Where are the crown jewels now?
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[09/22/26 - 03:08 PM]
Record-Breaking Week 3: ESPN/ABC Claim Every Saturday Window; "College GameDay" Continues Historic Start to the Season
ESPN networks delivered the top five most-watched games of Week 3 and accounted for two-thirds of all college football viewing.
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[09/22/26 - 02:34 PM]
FOX's "America's Game of the Week" Scores Regular Season High 27,212,000 Viewers in Week 2
Said coverage was up +8% vs. last year's full season average of 25,269,000 viewers.
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[09/22/26 - 02:17 PM]
Colts-Chiefs Overtime Thriller Is Most Watched Week 2 NBC "Sunday Night Football" Game Since 2015, Averaging 24.3 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock
The audience for Colts-Chiefs peaked at 27.4 million viewers on NBC and Peacock in the second quarter (9:15-9:30 p.m. ET).
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[09/22/26 - 12:16 PM]
Netflix's "Crew Girl" Renewed for Season 2
Season 1 of the coming-of-age teen drama series launched on September 10 and debuted in the Netflix English TV Top 10, where it has remained since its release, climbing up to #2 this week.
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[09/22/26 - 12:02 PM]
Netflix to Live-Stream STARTO ENTERTAINMENT's New Year's Eve Countdown Concert Worldwide for the First Time
This concert began in 1996 as a charity event supporting recovery efforts following the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and has since become an annual tradition for artists and fans to close out and welcome the new year together.
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