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[03/21/11 - 10:59 PM]
Development Update: Monday, March 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!
ANGLER (HBO, New!) - Barton Gellman's book of the same name - about former Vice President Dick Cheney - is being developed as a potential mini-series at the pay channel. Rick Cleveland ("Six Feet Under") is penning the adaptation, which will track Cheney's life from "his early days as Donald Rumsfeld's protege in the Nixon administration, to the nation's youngest Chief of Staff under President Ford, to serving as Secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush, through two controversial terms as Vice President under President George W. Bush." Spring Creek Productions and Fair Catch Productions are co-producing with Paula Weinstein, Jeffrey Levine, David Kennedy and "Frontline's" David Fanning and Michael Kirk executive producing.
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC) - Jonathan Cake ("Six Degrees") is set to join the cast of the long-running soap. He'll play Aaron, "a handsome, sexy, college-educated police detective with strong family values who becomes involved with Bree (Marcia Cross) when he comes to Wisteria Lane to investigate a case," in an upcoming four-episode arc before returning as a regular next season.
EATING WITH THE ENEMY (HBO, New!) - James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos") is set to star in and executive produce a potential docudrama at the pay channel about the true story of Bobby Egan, the owner of a Hackensack, New Jersey rib joint who became involved in back channel negotiations with North Korea to stop producing nuclear weapons. Said project is based on Egan and Kurt Pitzer's book of the same name, subtitled "How I Waged Peace With North Korea from My BBQ Shack in Hackensack." Egan improbably made inroads with the North Korean government after showing up at the doorstep of their consulate near the U.N. and offering his friendship. He subsequently made several trips to North Korea itself, where he was approached by the State Department to be their conduit in backdoor nuke talks. As for the film, Mark Armstrong, Nancy Sanders, Jane Rosenthal, Brandon Brito and Megan Lyvers will executive produce for Tribeca Productions and Gandolfini's Atta Boy Productions with Pitzer and Kimberly Levin co-producing. No other auspices were given.
FREE AGENTS (NBC) - Kathryn Hahn ("Hung") is set to star opposite Hank Azaria in the comedy pilot, about "the attraction between two quirky PR executives working together - Alex (Azaria) and Helen (Hahn) - who both are on the rebound, Alex from a divorce and Helen from the loss of a fiance." Todd Holland is directing the Universal Media Studios-based half-hour, from creator John Enbom. Mo Mandel also stars.
LOSING IT WITH JILLIAN (NBC) - Network sources have confirmed the Jillian Michaels-led series, in which "The Biggest Loser" trainer travels across the country to transform one family at a time, won't be returning for a second. Said effort was absent from the Peacock's summer lineup, which was revealed earlier today.
MORE AS THE STORY DEVELOPS (A.K.A. UNTITLED AARON SORKIN PROJECT) (HBO) - Jeff Daniels is reportedly in talks to topline the Aaron Sorkin-penned drama pilot, set behind the scenes of a nightly cable news show. He'd play Will McCallister, "a famous cable newsman of the Anderson Cooper/Brian Williams mold who is smart and talented guy but just a pain in the ass to work with and for." Sorkin and Scott Rudin are the executive producers.
PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC) - Benjamin Bratt ("The Cleaner") is on track to join the cast of the veteran drama. Details about his role are being kept under wraps, however it's understood he'll be introduced in the season finale. Said casting is designed to fill the void left by Audra McDonald, who's departing the series at the end of the season.
R.E.M. (NBC) - Cherry Jones ("24") and Michaela McManus ("The Vampire Diaries") have both joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Mark Britten (Jason Isaacs), a police detective living in two different realities following a horrible car accident: one in which his son Rex (Dylan Minnette) lives, another in which his wife Hannah lives - each with their own partner and psychiatrist. In addition, co-star Laura Allen has been recast as Hannah ("stunning, warm"). The actress was previously attached as Tara ("long, slender, like someone who not only plays a sport for a living, but does it well"), Rex's tennis coach and trusted confidante. Said role will now go to McManus. Jones then is set as Stephanie Evans, Mark's psychiatrist in the reality where Rex lives. The previously cast B.D. Wong conversely is Mark's psychiatrist in the reality where Hannah lives, while Steve Harris and Wilmer Valderrama play Mark's respective partners. David Slade is directing the Kyle Killen-penned hour, from 20th Century Fox Television.
SECRET CIRCLE (The CW) - Natasha Henstridge ("Eli Stone") and Australian actor Louis Hunter have both landed roles on the drama pilot, about Cassie Blake (Britt Robertson), a California teen who moves to her mom's hometown of New Salem, Maine and discovers that she comes from a family of witches. She'll play Dawn Chamberlain ("a strikingly beautiful woman in her late 30's"), the vice principal at Cassie's school and an old friend of her mother's; while Hunter is on board as Nick Armstrong ("good physique, and he knows it"), Cassie's new neighbor, another member of the circle, a coven of young witches. Jessica Parker Kennedy, Phoebe Tonkin, Shelley Hennig and Thomas Dekker also star in the hour, which Liz Friedlander is directing from a script by Andrew Miller.
TITANIC (ABC, New!) - Simon Vaughn's long-in-the-works mini-series has found a U.S. broadcast home at the Alphabet. Said effort will chronicle the famous ship's maiden and final voyage through multiple points of view, using both fictional and historical characters. Production is set to begin in Hungary shortly for a premiere in April 2012 - the 100th anniversary of the boat's sinking. Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes ("Gosford Park") penned the project with ITV Studios, Lookout Point, Deep Indigo Productions, Sienna Films and Mid Atlantic Films co-producing.
VINCE UNCENSORED (CBS) - Elizabeth Perkins ("Weeds") has booked the female lead on the comedy pilot, about Vince Donohue (Michael Chiklis), "a man who decides to take a more honest approach to life after a life-altering experience." She'll play his Wife, Janet, a middle school teacher and mother to their three daughters. Kelsey Grammer is directing the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, from creator Phoef Sutton.
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[01/31/25 - 10:05 AM]
Emotions Are High, Tears Run Dry and a Web of Lies Unravel When Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Potomac" Three-Part Reunion Begins Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Housewives Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Dr. Wendy Osefo, Mia Thornton, Stacey Rusch, Keiarna Stewart and friends Jacqueline Blake and Jassi Rideaux flash back on all the fun and games throughout the season, but take each other to task for their shenanigans.
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[01/31/25 - 10:01 AM]
From Creator Michael Cusack, "YOLO: Rainbow Trinity" Premieres March 9 on Adult Swim
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[01/31/25 - 09:40 AM]
CBS Thursday Line Up Returns, Up from Its Season Average
"Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" hit a series high averaging 7.72 million viewers, and up +10% from its season-to-date average (7.02 million viewers).
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[01/31/25 - 08:30 AM]
Hit Reality Sensation "Married at First Sight" Finds New Home at Peacock
Originally launched in 2014, "Married at First Sight" is a reality series that follows singles looking for a life-long partnership as they embark on a provocative experiment: getting legally married to a stranger the moment they first meet.
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[01/31/25 - 08:00 AM]
Presenters Announced for "The 67th Annual Grammy Awards"
Taking the stage will be Cardi B, Gloria Estefan, Olivia Rodrigo, Queen Latifah, SZA, Taylor Swift, Victoria Monét and Will Smith.
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[01/31/25 - 07:30 AM]
Video: Acorn TV Releases Trailer and Key Art for New Zealand Mystery Series "A Remarkable Place to Die"
Starring Chelsie Preston Crawford and acclaimed Australian actress Rebecca Gibney, the four-episode original series premieres Monday, February 17 on Acorn TV in the US and Canada, with new episodes releasing weekly.
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[01/31/25 - 07:05 AM]
FOX Sports Announces 2025 Daytona Speedweeks On-Air Team for Its 25th Season of NASCAR Coverage
Calling the Daytona 500 for FOX Sports on Sunday, February 16, is play-by-play announcer Mike Joy, covering his 46th Daytona 500 for live TV or radio, alongside analysts Clint Bowyer, in his fifth year with FOX, and 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2007 Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick, entering his second season in the booth.
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[01/31/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light" Preview
Based on the final novel in Hilary Mantel's multi award-winning trilogy, "Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light" premieres on "Masterpiece" Sunday, March 23.
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[01/31/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Next on Netflix - Select Films & Series International Slate
A collection of sneak peeks and first looks from Sweden, Turkey, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, Norway and Australia.
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[01/31/25 - 05:01 AM]
"Caught," Netflix's New Argentinian Thriller, Premieres on March 26
The limited series is based on the novel by Harlan Coben and shot in San Carlos de Bariloche.
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[01/31/25 - 02:01 AM]
Video: Netflix Unveils the Official Trailer for "Aitana: Metamorphosis"
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[01/30/25 - 08:31 PM]
Middle-Class Ambitions Meets High-Stakes Crime: "Dabba Cartel" Arrives February 28 on Netflix
"Dabba Cartel" is a unique tale of a reluctant cartel: the lives of five middle-class women and their families are thrown into chaos when their low-key dabba service spirals into an unexpected venture - a high-stakes drug delivery operation.
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[01/30/25 - 04:43 PM]
Video: Official Trailer #3 - "Common Side Effects" - February 2 - Adult Swim
The series premieres this Sunday, February 2 at 11:30/10:30c on Adult Swim, next day on Max.
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[01/30/25 - 04:10 PM]
Video: Netflix Debuted Highly Anticipated Slate with New Title Announcements, New Clips, New Images, Full Slate and More
2025 marks the return of some of Netflix's most popular shows of all time and the release of huge new films and series from some of the biggest names in entertainment.
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[01/30/25 - 04:01 PM]
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At the heart of "Melo Movie" is the rekindled romance of Ko Gyeom, played by Choi Woo-shik, and Kim Mubee, portrayed by Park Bo-young.
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