or


[06/13/08 - 05:14 PM]
Development Update: Friday, June 13
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!


24 (FOX) - Jon Voight has been tapped for his first series role in nearly 40 years. He'll play the show's seventh season "big bad" that's introduced in the upcoming prequel event and subsequently turns up later in the actual season. Details about his character however remain under wraps. Production is underway in South Africa on the prequel, which is set to air on November 23. Voight's last TV series role was a three-episode arc on "Gunsmoke" in the late 1960s.


FOURPLAY (ABC) - Ayda Field ("Back to You") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about two men - Derek (Josh Cooke), who is straight, and Drew (Alan Tudyk), who is gay - who are lifelong best friends and business partners. She'll take over for Sarah Lafleur as Audrey, Derek's stylish but emotionally messy girlfriend. Said recasting was made following the pilot's table read. It's understood Lafleur will move onto another ABC project as a result of her talent deal with the network. Rizwan Manji and fellow "Back to You" alum Ty Burrell also star in the half-hour, which comes from Warner Bros. Television and co-creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick.


LAPD (NBC, New!) - John Wells has booked his first post-"ER" project, a drama centering on the Los Angeles Police Department. "ER" veteran Christopher Chulack is set to direct the project - which has a put pilot commitment from the network - from a script by feature writer Ann Biderman ("Primal Fear"). Wells, Biderman and Chulack then will executive produce via Wells's Warner Bros. Television-based banner.


SIT DOWN, SHUT UP (FOX) - The writers of the upcoming animated series have walked off the show in pursuit of WGA representation. Said event was reportedly the result of Sony Pictures Television informing them they were covered by the Writers Guild when if fact they had made arrangements with another union, IATSE. The news marks the latest spat over which union should cover primetime animation. Under IATSE, writers do not receive get new-media revenues or residuals of any kind - a key strike point for the WGA earlier this year. Nevertheless with Sony's animation division, Adelaide Productions, having a deal with the IATSE in place for the past 10 years, industry insiders suggest the "Sit Down" staff doesn't have much leverage. Nevertheless their rallying cry is that all the other FOX-aired/20th Century Fox Television-produced animated shows fall under the WGA umbrella. ("Sit Down" is a co-production with 20th however Sony is the production lead.) It's not clear how long production will be delayed on the series, which is being targeted for midseason, as the result of the walkout.


UNTITLED OFFICE SPIN-OFF PROJECT (NBC) - Aziz Ansari (MTV's "Human Giant") is the first to be cast on the much-ballyhooed spin-off. No details about his character however were released other than he'll be part of a larger ensemble. Greg Daniels and Michael Schur are shepherding the project, which remains a hot topic of speculation. It's not clear if any of the parent show's characters will be part of the spin-off or if the sibling characters will initially be planted in the mothership before heading to the new show. In any case, Ansari has inked a one-year talent deal with producer Universal Media Studios as part of his involvement while Tucker Cawley, Dan Goor, Paul Feig, Charlie Grandy and Alan Yang have been tapped to be part of the writing staff. And separately, "Office" alum Rashida Jones has likewise inked a talent holding deal with the studio - leading many to speculate about her involvement with the show - while Paul Lieberstein, who doubles as Toby on the show, has been upped to executive producer on "The Office" proper.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [june 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 24 (FOX)
· BACK TO YOU (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ER (NBC)
· FOURPLAY (ABC)
· HUMAN GIANT (MTV)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· PARKS & RECREATION (NBC)
· SIT DOWN, SHUT UP (FOX)
· SOUTHLAND (TNT)





[11/15/24 - 11:00 AM]
"Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" Returns for Season Three with an Epic, Edge-of-Your-Seat Five-Week Event Featuring 2-Hour Mega Episodes Premiering Wednesday, January 8
Each week, the two-hour super charged episodes will feature household names enduring some of the harshest, most grueling challenges from the playbook of the actual Special Forces selection process.

[11/15/24 - 10:14 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" 500th Telecast Is Top Entertainment Program of the Night in Adults 18-49
In addition, the milestone episode ranked as the No. 1 telecast on Tuesday night in Women 18-34 (0.92 rating) and Women 18-49 (0.95 rating), as well as Teens 12-17 (0.29 rating) and Adults 25-54 (0.93 rating).

[11/15/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Kylie Cantrall Is Back as Red in New Music Video "Red Christmas" Available Now on Disney+ and YouTube
Cantrall originated the character in this summer's smash hit Disney Original movie "Descendants: The Rise of Red," becoming Disney+'s most-watched Live Action Original Movie since "Hocus Pocus 2" with over 33 million views in just 12 weeks.

[11/15/24 - 09:00 AM]
AMC Networks' "Best Christmas Ever" Returns with Month-Long Celebration of the Holidays Beginning November 30
With over 550 hours of holiday programming, AMC's jolly lineup has something for everyone in the family.

[11/15/24 - 08:31 AM]
The Country Music Association and ABC Celebrate Country Music's Biggest Night with Special Programming Leading Into "The 58th Annual CMA Awards"
Country music fans will have a front-row seat to their favorite country music stars starting this weekend.

[11/15/24 - 08:04 AM]
ABC News Announces Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Special Hosted by Luke Bryan Ahead of the 2024 CMA Awards
"Vegas Lights & Country Nights: Countdown to the CMA Awards - A Special Edition of 20/20" will air Tuesday, November 19, at 10:01 p.m. EST on ABC.

[11/15/24 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "The New York Times Presents: Weight of the World" - Official Teaser - FX
As GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic soar in popularity for weight loss, this film follows three people on their own GLP-1 journeys and explores how decades of diet culture and society's relentless pursuit of thinness paved the way for their rise.

[11/15/24 - 05:31 AM]
Conan O'Brien to Host 97th Oscars
"America demanded it, and now it's happening: Taco Bell's new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I'm hosting the Oscars," said O'Brien.

[11/15/24 - 03:02 AM]
Video: "Seven Doors" - Main Trailer - Netflix
All hail the king. "Seven Doors" will open December 13. Only on Netflix.

[11/15/24 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "1992" - Official Trailer - Netflix Spain
An enraged serial killer, mysteriously linked to Expo 92 in Seville, burns his victims alive in this series directed by Álex de la Iglesia.

[11/14/24 - 02:02 PM]
Video: "Second Chance Stage" - Official Trailer - Max
Your dream is waiting. "Second Chance Stage" premieres November 28 on Max.

[11/14/24 - 01:23 PM]
Video: Paramount+ with Showtime Presents Key Art and All-New Featurette Revealed for Showtime's "The Agency"
The highly-anticipated espionage political thriller features a star-studded cast, including 2x Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender and series regulars Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, Katherine Waterston, John Magaro, Alex Reznik, Andrew Brooke, Harriet Sansom Harris, India Fowler, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Reza Brojerdi and Richard Gere.

[11/14/24 - 12:41 PM]
Celebrity Heroes Take On Superstar Villains in Quest to Conquer the Kitchen in "Worst Cooks in America Celebrity Edition: Heroes vs. Villains"
Returning mentor Chef Jeff Mauro welcomes newcomer Chef Antonia Lofaso to transform these culinary disasters into cooking masters with each leading their own team of meal-making misfits.

[11/14/24 - 11:14 AM]
Reality Legends and Rookies Face Off Against a New Banker When NBC's "Deal or No Deal Island" Season 2 Premieres Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Joe Manganiello returns as host and the Banker's ultimate game master.

[11/14/24 - 10:23 AM]
National Geographic Documentary Films' Family-Friendly "Blink" to Debut Dec. 16 and Stream Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu
The feature documentary from directors Edmund Stenson and Oscar and BAFTA Award-winner Daniel Roher was released in over 250 theaters across the U.S. and Canada by Walt Disney Studios in October.