or


[05/04/09 - 06:47 PM]
Development Update: Monday, May 4
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!


BEN-HUR (ABC) - Joseph Morgan, Emily VanCamp and Stephen Campbell Moore are the first to be cast in the upcoming mini-series, a remake of the Oscar-winning film of the same name. Also signing on are Ray Winstone, Kristen Kruek, Hugh Bonneville, Alex Kingston, Lucia Jimenez, Miguel Angel Munoz, Marc Warren, Art Malik and James Faulkner. Morgan will play the title role, "a wealthy Jewish youth in the time of Jesus Christ -- who is seeking revenge and reclaiming his identity after being betrayed by his friend, Messala (Moore)." VanCamp then is set as Esther, Ben-Hur's love interest, with Winstone as his adoptive father, Kruek as his sister and Bonneville as Pontius Pilate. Steven Shill ("Obsessed") is helming the four-hour, $22 million adaptation from a script by Alan Sharp ("Rob Roy"). Production began this week in Ouarzazate, Morocco with David Wyler, Manuel Corbi, Michael Prupas, Frank Konigsberg and Dirk Beinhold executive producing. Co-producing alongside the Alchemy Television Group are Spain's Drimtim Entertainment, Canada's Muse Entertainment, Morocco's Zak Productions and Germany's Akkord Films.


THE CLEVELAND SHOW (FOX) - The network has commissioned 13 additional episodes of the upcoming "Family Guy" spin-off, bringing its series total to 35 installments. The early pickup is designed to keep the show in production while the series rolls out this fall. "Cleveland" had been ready for a spring start however FOX opted to hold the series until this fall. Said delay nevertheless required for FOX to make the call on a second season using the original timetable or risk losing the associated talent. Seth MacFarlane, Rich Appel and Mike Henry are the executive producers.


UNTITLED JENNY MCCARTHY PROJECT (Syndication, New!) - Jenny McCarthy has inked a multi-year overall deal with Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions. The pact calls for the actress/author ("Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism," "Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds") to develop various projects for the company, including a potential syndicated talk show. First up however is McCarthy's blog on Oprah.com, which launched last week. No specifics however were given about the TV component.


Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters





  [may 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· BEN HUR (OVATION)
· CLEVELAND SHOW, THE (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FAMILY GUY (FOX)
· UNTITLED JENNY MCCARTHY PROJECT (SYNDICATION)





[09/27/24 - 02:02 PM]
For the 2nd Year, "20/20" Is Friday's No. 1 Newsmagazine for the Broadcast Season Across the Board
"20/20" outdelivered "Dateline" for the 2nd season in a row in Total Viewers and for the 4th consecutive season in both key Adult demos.

[09/27/24 - 11:00 AM]
Whitney Cummings to Host Max Original Game Show "Fast Friends"
The four-part game show is scheduled to start production next month at The Friends Experience: The One in New York City, the flagship interactive experience, created by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences, Warner Bros. Television Group, and Original X Productions.

[09/27/24 - 11:00 AM]
"Matlock," Starring Kathy Bates, Makes Its Case with Over 10 Million Multiplatform Viewers In L+3s
With seven days of multiplatform viewing, "Matlock" is expected to be seen by 11.6 million viewers.

[09/27/24 - 10:00 AM]
CBS News Announces Rules for the Vice-Presidential Debate Between Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz on Oct. 1 in New York City
The 90-minute debate will be held at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City and be moderated by "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell and "Face the Nation" moderator and chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan.

[09/27/24 - 09:10 AM]
Video: "Wicked City" Season 3 - Official Trailer - ALLBLK
Season 3 continues to delve into the complexities of the coven as they face new challenges and threats, both internal and external.

[09/27/24 - 08:08 AM]
HBO Original Series "Like Water for Chocolate" Debuts November 3 on Max
Tita de la Garza and Pedro Múzquiz are two souls deeply in love, yet unable to be together due to entrenched family customs.

[09/27/24 - 07:35 AM]
New Series "Lost Monster Files" Reopens the Recently Unearthed Decades-Old Archive of Famed Cryptozoologist Ivan Sanderson to Reinvestigate His Most Compelling Unexplained Creature Cases
Premiering Wednesday, October 9 on Discovery Channel, the series features a team of experts who gained exclusive access to Sanderson's detailed research and will use it to reinvestigate his most prominent unfinished cases.

[09/27/24 - 07:34 AM]
Video: "Yellowstone" - TV's #1 Show Releases New Behind the Scenes Featurette Featuring Stars Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille and More!
Get an exciting inside look at production ahead of the highly anticipated return on Sunday, November 10 on Paramount Network.

[09/27/24 - 06:15 AM]
Stephen Moyer to Lead Acorn TV Art World Crime Drama, "Art Detectives"
Nina Singh, Sarah Alexander and Larry Lamb also star in the series, which Moyer also executive produces.

[09/27/24 - 06:01 AM]
Big News! "Black-ish" Hits TV One - For Its 10th Anniversary!
Starting at 8:00/7:00c on Friday, September 27, the "Black-ish" 10th Anniversary Marathon will kick off an exciting weekend of laughs and reflections, honoring a decade of cultural commentary, humor, and heart.

[09/27/24 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Children of the Church Steps" - Official Teaser - Netflix
A group of young friends survive life on the streets, finding in each other hope and resilience to dream of different futures - until tragedy unfolds.

[09/27/24 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "The Empress" Season 2 - Official Teaser - Netflix
As dark clouds gather over the Austrian Empire, the need to produce an heir for the throne puts Franz and Elisabeth's marriage to the test.

[09/27/24 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Blue Box" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Badminton player Taiki has always admired basketball star Chinatsu from afar. But one spring day, a surprising turn brings them unexpectedly close.

[09/26/24 - 09:31 PM]
Video: "The Tribe" - Official Trailer - Prime Video India - October 4
"The Tribe" is a reality series about five young Indian influencers who want to make it big in Los Angeles - the global capital of entertainment.

[09/26/24 - 01:30 PM]
"Tulsa King" Packs a Punch with Season Two Premiere Streamed by 5.4M Global Households
"Tulsa King's return shattered records with 2M active sub households on premiere day and over 5M globally for the week, fueling Paramount+'s continued momentum as the fastest growing SVOD four years in a row," said Chris McCarthy.