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[05/01/14 - 11:28 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, May 1
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!
BESSIE (HBO, New!) - Queen Latifah is set to play iconic blues singer Bessie Smith in a proposed biopic at the pay channel, which "chronicles how Smith overcame her tempestuous personal life to become one of the most acclaimed performing and recording artists of the 1920s and '30s, earning the nickname Empress of the Blues." Dee Rees (Pariah) wrote and will direct the project, which is based on the biography "Bessie" written by Chris Albertson. Latifah will also executive produce alongside Shakim Compere, Lili Fini Zanuck, Richard Zanuck, Shelby Stone and Randi Michel with Hallie Foote as co-executive producer and Ron Schmidt as producer for Flavor Unit Entertainment and the Zanuck Company. (Deadline.com)
DIG (USA/UCP; W: Gideon Raff & Tim Kring; D: S.J. Clarkson) - Regina Taylor and Omar Metwally have both booked roles on the event series, about an FBI agent stationed in Jerusalem (Jason Isaacs) who, while investigating a murder of a young female archeologist, uncovers a conspiracy 2000 years in the making. She'll play Ruth Ridell, "the U.S. ambassador to Israel who has little time for problems that Peter creates for her with the local authorities"; while he's set as Yussef Khalid, "an American who disappeared after being accused of murder." Alison Loren Sudol, Anne Heche and David Costabile also star. (THR.com)
HOW AND WHY (FX/FXP; W/D: Charlie Kaufman) - Marcella Plunkett (Dark Touch) has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, the story of a man, Goodman Hesselman (John Hawkes), who can explain how and why a nuclear reactor works, but is clueless about life. She'll play two roles, "Cynthia, a photographer at Goodman's new TV station in Murfreesboro, and Magda, Mendelson's (Michael Cera) secretary, whose day is spent in a cramped, tiny room, not much bigger than her desk." Sally Hawkins and Catherine Keener also star. (Deadline.com)
UNSTRUNG (ABC Family; W: Emily Whitesell; D: TBA) - Chanel Celaya and Sofia Mattsson are the first to be cast in the drama pilot, which explores the sexy, cutthroat, and emotional stakes of the professional world tour of tennis as brother and sister Luke and Ellie Holt compete to move up the ranks. Celaya will play the aforementioned Ellie, "an athletic, spunky beauty with great talent but not-so-great discipline"; with Mattsson as Ninotchka Andropov, "a diva ranked 3rd in the world but first in looks." (THR.com)
UNTITLED ANDY ST. CLAIR/PAUL O'TOOLE PROJECT (MTV, New!) - Andy St. Clair and Paul O'Toole have scored a cast-contingent pilot order from the network for a new comedy about "22-year-old Andy, who after he catches his girlfriend cheating, accidentally rear-ends a celebrity. Taking pity on Andy, the celebrity takes it upon himself to teach him how to man up." Odenkirk Provissiero's Marc Provissiero will executive produce the project with St. Clair and O'Toole serving as co-executive producers. (THR.com)
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Brian Percival has bowed out of helming the AMC drama pilot "Knifeman" for personal reasons (Deadline.com); "Nashville" executive producer R.J. Cutler has signed a first-look development deal with CBS Television Studios for scripted projects, ending his run at Lionsgate Television (Deadline.com); Kristin Chenoweth has been cast as Maleficent in Disney Channel's "Descendants," "who butts horns with her daughter Mal (Dove Cameron)" (Deadline.com); Nestor Serrano and Brit Morgan will both recur on the new season of "Graceland" (TVLine.com); and Tyler Hilton is bound for the upcoming CBS drama "Extant" as "the chief coder on the Humanichs Project at the center of the story" (THR.com).
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[03/14/25 - 03:01 PM]
"Percy Jackson and the Olympians" Renewed for Third Season on Disney+
The announcement was made today by Disney Branded Television and 20th Television, ahead of the series' second season debut, coming to Disney+ this December.
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[03/14/25 - 09:31 AM]
Return of AMC's "Dark Winds" Attracts 2.2 Million Premiere Night Viewers
On AMC+, the series continued its trajectory of viewership growth every season, with the season three premiere up more than 50 percent in viewership over season two, and doubling subscriber acquisition over the previous season.
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[03/14/25 - 09:09 AM]
The 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards to Feature Special Appearances Airing Monday, March 17 on FOX
Additionally, Gracie Abrams will also receive the 2025 iHeartRadio Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award.
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[03/14/25 - 06:31 AM]
Believe! Apple's Emmy Award-Winning "Ted Lasso" Renewed for Season Four
Jason Sudeikis will reprise his award-winning role as the celebrated coach Ted Lasso.
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[03/14/25 - 04:00 AM]
Video: "Married to the Game" Season 2 - Official Trailer
Access all areas to life behind the beautiful game by following the lives and careers of the wives and girlfriends of footballers.
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[03/13/25 - 06:32 PM]
Video: "Gannibal" - Season 2 Official Trailer - Hulu
Return to the Kuge Village with police offer Daigo Agawa as he tries to uncover the horrifying, dark truth that the village has held to secrecy.
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[03/13/25 - 06:01 PM]
Video: Get a Glimpse of the Epic Battles in First Look at "Record of Ragnarok III" Teaser Trailer
The 13 one-on-one battles for the survival of humanity between representatives of gods and humans from across the entire world begin yet again.
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[03/13/25 - 01:30 PM]
NBC Orders "Stumble" Comedy Pilot
The mockumentary project is about the ridiculously high stakes competitive world of junior college cheer.
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[03/13/25 - 12:06 PM]
Video: Apple Original Films Unveils the "F1" Movie Trailer
The film stars Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Kim Bodnia.
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[03/13/25 - 12:02 PM]
ABC News' "20/20" Limited Series "Bad Romance" Returns for Second Season, Tuesday, March 25, on ABC and Next Day on Hulu
Ryan Smith hosts the eight-episode series that delves into the harrowing stories of individuals who lost their lives at the hands of those who once vowed to love them forever and examines the devastating consequences of obsession and manipulation, exposing the dark side of love.
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[03/13/25 - 10:29 AM]
Mother Knows Best Is Put to the Test in OWN's New Love & Relationship Series "#Somebody's Son"
The series follows three charming, single and successful men as they embark on a high stakes search for true love, looking for a lasting partner amongst a group of exceptional single women.
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[03/13/25 - 10:19 AM]
ESPN NBA Schedule Update: Miami Heat to Host Detroit Pistons on March 19
It replaces the previously scheduled New Orleans Pelicans vs. Minnesota Timberwolves matchup.
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[03/13/25 - 10:05 AM]
Daniel Radcliffe Cast in NBC's Tracy Morgan Comedy Pilot
Radcliffe plays Arthur Tobin, an award-winning filmmaker who moves into Reggie's (Tracy Morgan) mansion to film an immersive documentary about the former star running back.
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[03/13/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Black Mirror" Season 7 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Lose your mind. Lose your reality. The Emmy Award winning series returns with six new stories. Nothing is as it seems.
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[03/13/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Starz Sets June 6 Return for "BMF" Season Four and Teases "WTF Happened in Mexico?"
The announcement comes with a new action-packed teaser showcasing life-and-death stakes as the Flenory brothers expand their business and confirms the fourth season will explore the fallout from a chaotic and relationship-altering mission in Mexico.
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