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[12/21/07 - 06:31 PM]
Development Update: Week of December 17-21
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!
AMC ORIGINAL SERIES (AMC, New!) - The cable channel has added four new projects to its development slate. Said efforts will eventually result in one of two pilots the network plans to order next year. The other pilot will be based off its previously announced projects. As for the newcomers, they are: "Fort Smith," from "24's" Robert Cochran, about Isaiah Parker, who polices the Five Points - comprised of five different Indian tribes - with his posse in the lawless post-Civil War West; an untitled hour from Alison Anders and Terry Graham, about Comanche leader Quanah Parker, who fights the U.S. Army for the rights to his tribe's land; "Greenfields," from playwright Nicky Silver ("Raised in Captivity"), about a psychiatrist who breaks his patient out of jail; and "Uninvited Guest," from "Less Than Zero" screenwriter Harley Peyton and Mandalay's Peter Guber and Elizabeth Stephens, about a character who suffers from multiple personality disorder.
THE AMERICAN MALL (MTV, New!) - MTV is teaming with "High School Musical" producers Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush for a romantic comedy/musical set at a mall in the vein of the Disney Channel sensation. Nina Dobrev and Rob Mayes will topline the project, about Ally, a high school grad/singer-songwriter (Dobrev), who battles to save her mother's music store and to keep the boy she loves (Mayes), a musically gifted young janitor who fronts a garage band. Autumn Reeser also stars as Ally's mean-girl adversary Madison, the spoiled and ruthless heiress to the owners of the mall, while Wade Allain-Marcus, Bianca Collins, Rodney To, Neil Haskell, Brooke Lyons, David Baum, Blythe Auffarth, Yassmin Alers, Bresha Webb, Neil Haskell and Al Sapienza round out the cast. Production is set to begin next month at a mall in Provo, Utah with Shawn Ku ("Pretty Dead Girl") directing. Borden is producing "Mall," which was originally set up as a feature at Columbia Pictures prior to "Musical's" release, with Rosenbush and Arata Matsushima serving as executive producers. "Mall" then will premiere this summer with a DVD release a couple of days later.
BACKYARDS & BULLETS (NBC) - The Peacock has opted not to move forward with the drama pilot, about a suburban Neighborhood Watch group gone awry. The news comes as a result of the network letting its options on the cast expire. The show's ensemble included Abigail Spencer, Billy Burke, Casey LaBow, Enuka Okuma, Jessalyn Gilsig, Kristen Lehman, Lou Diamond Phillips, Mathew St. Patrick and Richard Ruccolo. Charles McDougall directed the Sony Pictures Television/Pariah-based hour from a script by Ed Decter and John J. Strauss. Pariah's Gavin Polone and Jamie Tarses also served as executive producers.
COCO CHANEL (Lifetime, New!) - The cable channel is developing a biopic/mini-series about the famed fashion icon featuring Barbora Bobulova and Shirley MacLaine as the designer in the early and later periods of her life, respectively. Christian Duguay ("Human Trafficking") is on board to direct the Alchemy Television Group-based project, which is currently filming. Enrico Medioli ("Once Upon a Time in America") penned the script while Lux Vide SpA, Pampa Productions, Rai and France 2 are co-producing alongside Alchemy. The two-part effort, which is being done in cooperation with Chanel's estate, tracks her upbringing in an orphanage outside Paris through her move to reinvent herself in her 70s, after spending years in exile.
KAYA (MTV) - MTV development chief Tony DiSanto confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter this week the series, the network's first scripted effort in more than five years, won't be returning for a second season. "Kaya" opened its 10-episode run on Monday nights following "The Hills" before being banished to Saturday nights after failing to capitalize on said lead-in. DiSanto however was quick to note the network still plans to push forward in the scripted genre as several projects are in the works, including an untitled effort from Adam Ripp and Steven Wolfson as well as "Darius," from "Law & Order" veteran Michael S. Chernuchin.
SAINT OF CIRCUMSTANCE (FOX, New!) - "The Office" alum David Denman is set to topline a new single-camera comedy pilot for FOX about a man going through a midlife crisis who quits his dead-end office job to be a paramedic on the night shift. "Scrubs" star Zack Braff is in talks to direct the ABC Studios-based half-hour, which was created by Braff's brother, Adam ("Andrew Henry's Meadow"). Denman then will play the lead role of Wayne with the Braffs executive producing alongside Emile Levisetti. Production on the pilot is expected to begin after the WGA strikes concludes.
UNTITLED CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER PROJECT (ABC) - ABC Studios has extended the options on the entire cast of the multi-camera comedy pilot, about a family man (Cedric the Entertainer) who always has been the proud breadwinner but has difficulty adjusting when his wife's (Regina Hall) hobby turns into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Production on the project, which also stars Charles Malik Whitfield, Jasmine McNeal, Melissa Peterman, Peter Mackenzie and Steven Wash, Jr., was completed in October. Ken Whittingham directed from a script by co-creators Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Soccio and Rock Reuben.
WIFE SWAP (ABC) - Lifetime's purchase of the show's off-network rights from Disney-ABC Domestic Television on Tuesday (read the story) is said to be valued at $250,000 per episode. The four-year pact, which begins in October, gives the cable channel the right to play reruns of the series twice a day.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[11/25/24 - 12:30 PM]
"The Curious Case of Natalia Grace" Returns This January for the Final Chapter
"The Final Chapter" offers a conclusion to Natalia's story as she strives for healing and resolution in her tumultuous journey filled with decades of unexpected twists and turns.
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[11/25/24 - 12:00 PM]
Matthew Broderick and Son James Wilkie Broderick to Guest Star on CBS' "Elsbeth" in 2025
This will be the first time the father and son share the screen together.
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[11/25/24 - 11:00 AM]
Peacock's "Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes" Exposes the Troubled Man Behind the Dark Myth Through Firsthand Recordings and Accounts from Some of the Women Who Knew Him Best
Collected from more than 25 hours of audio recordings - most of which have never been heard before - and including revealing interviews with his family, friends and wife, the series explores the dark forces that led Ramirez to become the infamous Night Stalker.
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[11/25/24 - 10:32 AM]
Video: Tom Hanks Narrates an Extraordinary Journey - "The Americas" - NBC
Narrated by Academy Award winner Tom Hanks comes the extraordinary journey of Earth's great supercontinent.
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[11/25/24 - 10:30 AM]
Epic Landmark Natural History Series "Asia" Set to Premiere Saturday, January 25 on BBC America and AMC+
Presented by renowned naturalist and three-time Emmy Award-winner Sir David Attenborough, the cinematic series explores each corner of this remarkable part of our planet and journeys through Asia's most stunning landscapes, uncovering stories of extraordinary unseen animal behavior.
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[11/25/24 - 10:20 AM]
AMC Networks' Launches Inaugural "Celebrating Indigenous Stories" Collection on AMC+
Also included in the special collection, and as part of the company's "Future of Film" initiative, which partners with indie film festivals that feature emerging talent from historically excluded communities, is the company's first-ever "Indigenous Rising Stars" collection.
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[11/25/24 - 09:02 AM]
MTV's "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" Rings in the New Year with All-New Episodes Starting Tuesday, January 7 at 8PM ET/PT
MTV today announced the return of the popular docuseries, bringing viewers more drama, music, and the personal stories that keep fans hooked.
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[11/25/24 - 09:00 AM]
Final Season of "Blue Bloods" to Conclude on Friday, Dec. 13 with Two Remaining Episodes
Amanda Kloots and Edward James Olmos will guest star in the final installments.
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[11/25/24 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases the First-Look Teaser for "Beast Games" Competition Series
The series is set to debut weekly on Thursday, December 19 on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
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[11/25/24 - 08:00 AM]
Legendary Artist, Actor, Producer, Author and Entrepreneur Queen Latifah to Host "The 47th Annual Kennedy Center Honors" to Be Broadcast Sunday, Dec. 22 on CBS
The Kennedy Center Honors recognizes and celebrates individuals whose unique contributions have shaped the way we see ourselves, each other and our world.
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[11/25/24 - 07:16 AM]
Stream Max Today for 70% Off
This limited time deal is available now through Monday, December 2 for both new and returning subscribers on Max.com, Apple, Google Play, Roku, Samsung, and Xumo, and for new Max customers only on Amazon Fire TV.
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[11/25/24 - 07:05 AM]
2024 Billboard Music Awards to Air on December 12 in First-of-Its-Kind Multi-Platform Viewing Experience Across FOX, Paramount+ and Amazon's Fire TV Channels
Hosted by actress and comedian Michelle Buteau, the 2024 BBMAs presented by Marriott Bonvoy airs on Thursday, December 12 at 8:00pm ET/PT on FOX and Fire TV Channels, and on-demand on Paramount+, with performances also rolling out across Billboard.com, and via BBMAs and Billboard social channels.
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[11/25/24 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Missing You" - Official Trailer - Netflix
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[11/25/24 - 07:01 AM]
5&2 Studios Announces Theatrical Debut of "The Chosen: Last Supper" (Season 5) on March 27, 2025 and Unveils First Look Trailer
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[11/25/24 - 06:59 AM]
Richard Gadd and Jamie Bell to Star in New BBC Drama "Half Man"
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