 |
 |
[03/11/08 - 05:37 PM]
Development Update: March 10-11
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!
DRIVING AROUND WITH JONI (HBO, New!) - Jhoni Marchinko ("Men in Trees") has scored a pilot commitment from the pay channel for a new comedy about an eccentric, successful 40-year-old widow who spends her days driving around Los Angeles with her French bulldog, looking for meaning in her life after the sudden death of her husband. The project was originally set up at Warner Bros. Television where Marchinko had an overall deal prior to its termination during the WGA strike. Marchinko then will pen and executive produce "Joni" while Warner Bros. will still retain a piece of the show but not be creatively involved.
ELEVENTH HOUR (CBS) - Marley Shelton ("Grindhouse") has been tapped as the female lead in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama pilot, about Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell), a special science adviser to the government who - with his feisty female bodyguard Rachel Young (Shelton) in tow - saves people from the worst abuses of science. Ashley Jensen originated Shelton's role in the U.K. version. Danny Cannon is directing the hour from a script by Mick Davis with the pair executive producing alongside Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman for Granada International and Warner Bros. Television.
HARPER'S ISLAND (CBS, New!) - Feature writer Ari Schlossberg ("Hide and Seek") has booked a pilot presentation order from the Eye and CBS Paramount Network Television for a new horror-themed drama that unfolds during the course of a season as a group of friends meet on an island off the Seattle coast for a destination wedding. "Jericho's" Jon Turteltaub is on board to direct and executive produce alongside his Junction Entertainment partners Karim Zreik and Dan Shotz. The latter pair then will serve as co-executive producers, as will Schlossberg.
MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL (CBS) - Josh Cooke ("Big Day") is set to star opposite Tim Peper in the multi-camera comedy pilot, about two best friends who own a bike shop and whose relationship becomes complicated when one (Peper) starts dating the ex-wife of the other (Cooke). Mike Sikowitz is behind the half-hour, which is set up at Sony Pictures Television.
THE SAINT (New!) - Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, Jorge Zamacona, Bill Macdonald, Roger Moore and Geoffrey Moore are set to team to produce an independently financed two-hour TV movie/backdoor pilot based on Leslie Charteris's famed novels about debonair international thief Simon Templar. Zamacona and Macdonald previously set up the project at TNT last season (read the story) but it didn't move forward. The rights subsequently reverted back to them, after which Fontana and Levinson came aboard. Nehst Studios is behind the project while James Purefoy ("Rome") in talks to topline. Production then is set to begin next month with filming in Budapest, Hungary, New York and Puerto Rico. Since the 1997 feature starring Val Kilmer, both UPN (director John McTiernan and producer ATG in 2000) and ABC (writer Stephen Nathan and producer FremantleMedia North America in 2004) have taken stabs at developing a new small screen take.
UNTITLED NICK LACHEY PROJECT (MTV, New!) - Nick Lachey is developing a "Fame"-esque reality series set at his alma mater, the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati. The untitled project then would track its students, blending their performances with a narrative about what takes place in the school. Marc Platt and Russell Heldt are executive producing alongside Lachey.
WORST WEEK (CBS) - Erinn Hayes ("The Winner") has landed the female lead in the comedy pilot, about a guy named Sam (Kyle Bornheimer) and his rocky relationship with the parents of his fiancee (Hayes) during a family holiday. Her character, Melanie "Mel" Cook, is further detailed in the casting notice as follows: "30. Sam's fiancee. She's a beautiful, warm woman who is unaffectedly striking, even when she's not wearing any make-up. Currently in her first trimester of pregnancy, Mel is throwing up on a regular basis and just trying to soldier on until she's feeling better. Very attached to Sam, she's hoping that his visit for Dick's birthday will sweeten up her parents and set the stage for their announcement of Mel's pregnancy and engagement. However, Sam's surreal string of blunders, gaffes and boneheaded misfortunes make it very hard for Mel to convince her folks that Sam is indeed Mr. Right." Jay Malone also stars in the half-hour, which comes from Universal Media Studios and executive producers Jimmy Mulville, Marc Buckland and Matt Tarses.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
|
|
|
 [march 2008]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[03/11/25 - 10:02 AM]
Bravo's "The Valley" Returns for Season Two on Tuesday, April 15 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Returning this season are Danny & Nia Booko, Luke Broderick & Kristen Doute, Jason & Janet Caperna, Brittany Cartwright, Jasmine Goode, Jesse Lally, Michelle Saniei, Jax Taylor and Zack Wickham.
|
[03/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
Season Four of "Hacks" Debuts April 10
The 10-episode season debuts with two episodes.
|
[03/11/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: From Creator Chris Brancato, MGM+ Original Series "Godfather of Harlem" Debuts Exhilarating Season Four Trailer and Key Art Starring Fan Favorites Forest Whitaker and Rome Flynn
In season four, Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker) continues his bloody war for control of Harlem against New York's Mafia families, while contending with the arrival of gangster Frank Lucas (Rome Flynn).
|
[03/11/25 - 09:00 AM]
We TV Answer Fans' Plea for More of "The Braxtons"
"The Braxtons" is currently in production and is slated to premiere this fall, airing exclusively on We TV and streaming exclusively on ALLBLK.
|
[03/11/25 - 08:16 AM]
Prime Video Adds Hall-of-Famer Carl Edwards and Dynamic Trio of Pit Reporters to Round Out Announce Team for Inaugural NASCAR Campaign
The expanded lineup brings together a host of familiar faces for racing fans, as an exclusive, five-race package of NASCAR action debuts with the Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25.
|
[03/11/25 - 08:08 AM]
Nickelodeon Announces All-New Animated Series "Wylde Pak," Moving in This Summer
Inspired by co-creators and executive producers Paul Watling and Kyle Marshall's family life, the 26-episode comedy series follows half siblings Lily and Jack as they learn to navigate new family dynamics under one roof for the first time.
|
[03/11/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "The Dad Quest" - Official Trailer - Netflix
"Gallo," a TV producer, faces an unexpected twist in his life when he discovers that he is not Benito's biological father.
|
[03/11/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: New Trailer - U.K. Hit Series "Big Boys" Season 3
The final season of the hit British series makes its U.S. debut on March 25.
|
[03/11/25 - 08:00 AM]
"The Flip Off" Delivers HGTV's Highest-Rated Freshman Series Since 2022
The six-episode season attracted nearly 14 million total viewers across linear and streaming since its premiere on Wednesday, January 29.
|
[03/11/25 - 07:50 AM]
Viewers Cast Their Votes as Rock's Biggest Bands Square Off in AXS TV's March Music Battle of the Bands, Running from March 17 Through April 7
The tournament will start with 64 iconic bands from across the rock spectrum, with a slew of dream matchups that will pare the field down until only two remain.
|
[03/11/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Mufasa: The Lion King" - On Disney+ March 26
Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, "Mufasa: The Lion King" enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick.
|
[03/11/25 - 06:43 AM]
Video: Disney+ Debuts Trailer and Key Art for Heartwarming Documentary "Pets" from Director Bryce Dallas Howard & Imagine Documentaries
The documentary invites viewers on an uplifting journey that showcases the universal love transcending species, filled with moments of laughter, tenderness, and genuine emotion.
|
[03/11/25 - 06:30 AM]
Video: Prime Video Debuts Electrifying Trailer for "Leverage: Redemption" Season 3 Proving Sometimes It's Good to Be Bad
The third installment of the fan-favorite series will consist of 10 episodes with the first three episodes premiering April 17 and new episodes releasing every Thursday.
|
[03/11/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Netflix Reveals Official Trailer for "The Lady's Companion"
Starring Nadia de Santiago, Álvaro Mel, Isa Montalbán, and Zoe Bonafonte, the series will premiere globally on Netflix on March 28.
|
[03/11/25 - 04:01 AM]
Video: "Con Mum" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A chef's life is upended when a jet-setting, champagne-sipping, hotel-hopping woman claims to be his mother. This documentary reveals the untold story.
|
|
|
|
