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!
ABANDONS, THE (Netflix) - Clayton Cardenas will recur on the newcomer in an unspecified capacity. (Deadline.com, 3/4)
ANNE RICE'S MAYFAIR WITCHES (AMC) - Ben Feldman has joined the cast of the show's sophomore run as Sam "Lark" Larkin, "a successful CEO of a genetics startup and Rowan's (Alexandra Daddario) former boyfriend, who has re-entered her life." (Deadline.com, 3/7)
BAYWATCH (FOX, New!) - Fremantle's reboot series has received "a significant script plus penalty commitment" from the network. Lara Olsen is spearheading the project: "In it, daring ocean rescues, pristine beaches, and iconic red bathing suits are back, along with a whole new generation of Baywatch lifeguards, who navigate complicated, messy personal lives." Michael Berk, Greg Bonann and Doug Schwartz, creators of the original series, also will executive produce. (Deadline.com, 3/4)
BREAK POINT (Netflix) - The streamer has stopped production of the tennis documentary series after two seasons. Said report indicates the series "lagged behind its equivalents in Formula One and golf in terms of viewing figures and access." (@stu_fraser, 3/8)
CHICAGO MED (NBC) - Former co-star Brian Tee will return to direct the show's 11th episode this season. (Deadline.com, 3/8)
DANGER FORCE (Nickelodeon) - Director Mike Caron took to social media to confirm this past Wednesday's installment is indeed the series' last. (@mikecaron_la, 2/22)
DAVENPORTS, THE (Amazon, New!) - Krystal Marquis's YA novel is being developed for TV by Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television and Amazon MGM Studios: "The series, set in 1910 America, revolves around the Davenports, who are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status thanks to the entrepreneurship of former enslaved patriarch William Davenport. Surrounded by servants, crystal chandeliers, and endless parties, his daughters Olivia and Helen, and their friends, are finding their way and finding love - even where they're not supposed to." No writer is currently attached to the project with Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo executive producing. (Deadline.com, 3/6)
DOC - IN YOUR HANDS (FOX) - Omar Metwally, Amirah Vann, Jon Ecker, Anya Banerjee, Scott Wolf and Patrick Walker are all set to join the Molly Parker-led medical drama. Metwally will play Michael Hamda, "the new Westside Hospital CMO, who possesses a natural authority and obvious intelligence"; with Vann as Gina Walker, "a neuropsychiatrist and Amy's (Parker) best friend for two decades, Gina is witty, warm and dedicated"; Ecker as Jake Heller, "the dedicated and charming Chief Resident, who loves Amy, professionally and personally"; Banerjee as Sonya Maitra, "a 3rd year resident, she's self-deprecating and funny - or snarky, depending who she's talking to"; Wolf as Richard Miller, "an attending physician, Richard is uptight, ambitious, and afraid to admit mistakes"; and Walker as Theodore "TJ" Coleman, "a 1st-year resident, TJ is wicked smart, kind, and strong." (Deadline.com, 3/4)
EQUALIZER, THE (CBS) - Mike Epps will drop by the show's March 17 episode as J.J. Cranson, "a former gambling addict whom McCall hires to help when Dante's old training partner is taken hostage while working undercover in an illegal casino." (TVLine.com, 3/8)
FAMILY BUSINESS SPIN-OFF SERIES, THE (BET+) - The Brandon T. Jackson-led spin-off series has cast Lela Rochon as Big Shirley Duncan; Pooch Hall as Floyd; David Banner as Jean LeBlanc; with Quincy Brown, Yvette Nicole Brown, Orlando Jones, Nicole Galicia, Erica Hubbard, Sarah Carter, Stan Shaw, Bernnadette Stanis, Sacaiha Shaw, Jenson Atwood, AzMarie Livingston, Deric Augustine, Kayla Nicole and Nicholas Turturro in unspecified roles. Also visiting from the parent series are Michael Jai White as Vegas Duncan; Ben Stephens as Curtis Duncan; and Nayirah Teshali as Lauryn Duncan. (Deadline.com, 3/6)
FBI (CBS) - Charlotte Sullivan will recur on the current season as Jessica Blake, "a former colleague and mom, kickstarting an arc in which Maggie herself mulls the idea of motherhood." (TVLine.com, 3/4)
FIRE COUNTRY (CBS) - Paola Núñez will visit the show's May 3 episode as Gabriela's (Stephanie Arcila) mother, Roberta, who's "dazzling, bright, bold and beautiful. Effusive, persistent, strong-willed and not one to keep quiet - but also with a certain elegant charm - she is eager to reconnect with the daughter she barely knows." (TVLine.com, 3/6)
FIXER UPPER: THE LAKEHOUSE (Magnolia Network, New!) - Chip and Joanna Gaines will return for a new six-episode season of the series, marking its 10-year anniversary. The new edition follows Chip and Joanna "as they take on a unique mid-century modern lakehouse flip near Lake Waco, a new neighborhood for the home renovation duo based in Waco, Texas. From demo to design, viewers will follow the full transformation of the property throughout the season as Chip and Joanna go above and beyond with surprising interior designs and unique outdoor installations never before seen on "Fixer Upper."" Blind Nil is producing the series, which will air as double premieres across three weeks beginning June 2. (Variety.com, 3/5)
FOREVER (Netflix) - Karen Pittman and Wood Harris are set to star opposite Michael Cooper Jr. and Lovie Simone in the series. Pittman plays Dawn, "a college-educated, top executive in corporate finance with an easy elegance that belies her loving but paranoid form of parenting, Justin's (Cooper Jr.) mother Dawn might be strict at times, but it's always out of love." Harris then portrays Eric, "a restauranteur with a high school and life degree, the more lenient parent who always plays referee, Justin's (Cooper Jr.) father Eric knows that his son feels immense academic and athletic pressure to obtain a higher education and not mess up the head start his family has worked so hard to provide him." (Deadline.com, 3/7)
HACKS (Max) - Aristotle Athari is the latest bound for the new season. No details about his role were given. (Variety.com, 3/4)
HAPPY FACE (Paramount+) - James Wolk will star opposite Annaleigh Ashford and Dennis Quaid in the upcoming drama as "Melissa's handsome, fit husband, a bank manager by day, marathon-trainer by night. He knows Melissa's carefully hidden secret but thinks they have left all that trauma and strain behind them for good. When he learns that the past has reached out again to interrupt their orderly lives, he's not happy about it, and feels that Melissa is being manipulated once again by a conniving sociopath." (Deadline.com, 3/8)
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (HBO) - The show's much-ballyhooed second season is being targeted for June. (Deadline.com, 3/4)
INSECURE/SUCCESSION (HBO) - Kevin Bray has signed a two-year overall deal with HBO where he'll direct exclusively for the network. (Deadline.com, 3/6)
JODIE (Comedy Central) - MTV Entertainment Studios has shuttered the long-gestating project. "Jodie will not be moving forward at MTVE Studios," said a company spokesperson. "We have loved working with Tracee, Grace and the whole team on creating a film that is full of joy and genre-bending fun with an inclusive, diverse, and incredible cast. We are fully supportive of them finding a home elsewhere and look forward to partnering with them in the future." (Deadline.com, 3/5)
JOHN WICK/TWILIGHT (New!) - Lionsgate Television is looking to bring both properties to the small screen with an animated series based on the latter set to make the rounds. (Deadline.com, 3/5)
LANDMAN (Paramount+) - Colm Feore will recur on all 10 episodes of the series as Nathan, "an oil company attorney and administrator." (Deadline.com, 3/5)
LIBRARIANS, THE: THE NEXT CHAPTER (The CW) - Christian Kane will reprise his "The Librarians" role of Jacob Stone on the spin-off series: "Born and raised in Oklahoma, Kane's Jacob Stone has spent his entire life trying to fit in with the cowboys he works alongside over at the oil pipeline. But the truth is, Stone is a genius when it comes to art, architecture and history. He is the perfect mix of brains and brawn and is equally skilled at analyzing a Bernini as he is at cracking heads in a bar-brawl. Having been a Librarian now for over a decade, Stone is tasked by The Library to mentor and help Charlie (Green) find her confidence so she can fulfill her dream of becoming a permanent Guardian." (Deadline.com, 3/4)
LOCKERBIE (Netflix) - Patrick J. Adams, Connor Swindells, Merritt Wever, Peter Mullan, Tony Curran, Phyllis Logan, Eddie Marsan, Lauren Lyle, Andrew Rothney, Parker Sawyers, James Harkness, Khalid Laith and Amanda Drew have signed onto the limited series in a yet-to-be-revealed roles. (Deadline.com, 3/5)
LONG BRIGHT RIVER (Peacock) - The limited series has tapped the following actors to recur: Dash Mihok plays Eddie; Britne Oldford as Aura; Matthew Del Negro as Simon; Harriet Sansom Harris as Mrs. Mahon; Patch Darragh as Sergeant Kevin Ahearn; and Perry Mattfeld as Paula. (Deadline.com, 3/5)
MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN (Paramount+) - Natasha Marc has booked a return trip to the series where she'll reprise her season one role of Cherry. (Deadline.com, 3/7)
MISSING YOU (Netflix) - Rosalind Eleazar has scored the lead role on the Harlan Coben adaptation, which "tells the story of detective Kat Donovan who stumbles across her estranged fiancé on a dating app, forcing her to delve back into the mystery surrounding her father's murder." Writer Victoria Asare-Archer and director Sean Spencer are spearheading the project with Coben, Asare-Archer, Nicola Shindler, Richard Fee and Danny Brocklehurst executive producing. Isher Sahota serves as second director while Guy Hescott is producing. (Deadline.com, 3/8)
MURDERBOT (Apple TV+) - The streamer's Martha Wells adaptation has cast Sabrina Wu as Pin-Lee; Tattiawna Jones as Arada; Akshay Khanna as Ratthi; and Tamara Podemski as Bharadwaj. No other character details were given. (Deadline.com, 3/7)
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING (Hulu) - Kumail Nanjiani is set to recur on the new season in a yet-to-be-revealed role. (Variety.com, 3/4)
OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH (Max) - David Jenkins confirmed on social media a new home could not be found for the recently canceled series. (@dvidjenkins, 3/8)
POWER GAME (MTV) - MTV Entertainment Studios is looking to redevelop the project, "a social experiment series in which 13 strangers are given absolute power to control the lives of those around them, while competing for a cash prize." It was originally announced in 2022. (Deadline.com, 3/5)
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: ORIGINAL SIN (Max) - Antonio Cipriano is bound for the new season, "Summer School," as Johnny, "a self-professed player who works alongside Imogen at Millwood's Ice Creamery. At first, it's a rocky road, but soon, Johnny melts Imogen's heart." (EW.com, 3/6)
REACHER (Amazon) - Brian Tee, Johnny Berchtold and Roberto Montesinos have joined the cast of the show's third season. Tee will play Quinn, "a physically imposing and intimidating character. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army whom Reacher (Alan Ritchson) investigated ten years ago when he sold military secrets to hostile nations." Berchtold plays Richard Beck, "a sensitive and artistic college student who lost his mother when he was young and is the only son of businessman Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall)." Montesinos is Guillermo Villanueva, "a DEA agent on the verge of retirement. He is the mentor and father figure of Agent Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy)." And Daniel David Stewart will recur as Steven Elliot, "a clean-cut rookie DEA agent. He is a lovable guy who's fresh-faced, new to the job and still learning." (Deadline.com, 3/6)
SHIFTING GEARS (ABC, New!) - Tim Allen has scored a pilot order from the Alphabet for a multi-camera comedy about Matt (Allen), "a stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When Matt's estranged daughter and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins." Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Sully are behind the 20th Television-based project, with Allen, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker and Rick Messina likewise executive producing. (Deadline.com, 3/6)
SOMETHING WICKED (NBC, New!) - June Diane Raphael is attached to star in a potential multi-camera comedy at the network which "examines the condition of modern adult womanhood and how even with witchcraft, balancing everything is impossible." Raphael is also co-writing the project alongside Alena Smith with both executive producing for Universal Television. (Deadline.com, 3/6)
SYSTEM, THE (HBO, New!) - David Simon will team with Kiese Laymon, Lily Thorne and Larissa MacFarquhar for a potential drama at the pay channel which "will examine the foster care and child protective service systems from the viewpoint of family court judges and lawyers, as well as social workers, caretakers, mothers, and the children themselves, and will probe the risks and benefits of removing children from families of origin." The project is based on a series of New Yorker articles written by MacFarquhar. Simon is the executive producer with Thorne and MacFarquhar serving as co-executive producers. (Variety.com, 3/6)
TEACUP (Peacock) - Kathy Baker, Boris McGiver, Caleb Dolden, Emilie Bierre and Luciano Leroux are the latest additions to the horror thriller series. They'll play Ellen Chenoweth, Donald Kelly, Arlo Chenoweth, Meryl Chenoweth and Nicholas Shanley, respectively. No other details were given. (Variety.com, 3/5)
TELL ME LIES (Hulu) - Jacob Rodriguez and Katherine Hughes will both recur on the new season. Rodriguez will play Chris, "the good-looking brother of Lydia (Natalee Linez) who is excited about attending Baird. He's friendly, good-natured and takes an interest in Pippa (Sonia Mena)." And Hughes is Molly, "a confident, upfront friend of Diana's (Alicia Crowder), who takes an interest in one of the lead boys." (Deadline.com, 3/5)
UNTITLED AMANDA KNOX PROJECT (Hulu) - The streamer has ordered the project to series with Margaret Qualley set to play Knox, "who was wrongfully convicted for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher." The limited series will consist of eight, one-hour episodes. (Deadline.com, 3/7)
UNTITLED BRAD INGELSBY TASK FORCE PROJECT (HBO) - The Mark Ruffalo-led drama has cast the follow actors to recur: Owen Teague as Peaches, "Robbie and Cliff's co-worker by day and henchman by night"; Dominic Colón as Deric "Breaker," "the Vice-President of a dangerous biker gang and Jayson's right hand"; and Margarita Levieva as Eryn, "Jayson's tough and cunning wife." (Deadline.com, 3/8)
UNTITLED JERMAINE FOWLER PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Jermaine Fowler is attached to star in a proposed single-camera comedy at the network in which "after a self-inflicted fall from grace, a former jiu-jitsu champion's (Fowler) only shot at redemption is to check his ego at the door and start from scratch at a low-rent strip-mall dojo." Fowler and Zack Bernstein are behind the project for FOX Entertainment and Tooth Hurty Media with Austin Sokol and showrunner Sam Laybourne also executive producing. (Deadline.com, 3/6)
UNTITLED MINDY KALING COMEDY SERIES (Netflix) - The upcoming comedy has tapped the following actors to recur: Max Greenfield as Lev Levy, "a good-natured pediatrician and Isla's encouraging fiancé"; Uche Agada as Dyson Gibbs, "brought up from the D-League by Isla, he is an eager and naive rookie who just wants to prove himself"; and Dane DiLiegro as Badrag Knauss, "an Eastern European player on the Waves. Although massive in stature, and at times quite blunt, Badrag often surprises the team with his thoughtfulness." (Deadline.com, 3/7)
WAYNE BRADY: THE FAMILY REMIX (UNTITLED WAYNE BRADY & FAMILY PROJECT) (Freeform) - The documentary series, originally targeted for Hulu, will now debut on cable sibling Freeform, with episodes next day on the streaming service. (Deadline.com, 3/6)
WE WERE LIARS (Amazon) - Mamie Gummer, Caitlin FitzGerald and Candice King have scored the lead roles on the YA series adaptation, "a tragic love story and an amnesia thriller set on a privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts." Gummer is Carrie Sinclair, "the eldest daughter of a wealthy media mogul"; FitzGerald portrays "the cool and polished Penny Sinclair whose favorite snack is exactly six unsalted almonds, and her expensive athletic wear always matches"; and King plays Bess Sinclair, "the youngest Sinclair sister; Bess never has a hair out of place, and if she gets her way (which she usually does) her three children wouldn't, either." (Deadline.com, 3/5)
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