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[Norwegian Rudo]

Iiiiinteresting...

If there's a major shift, naturally they would cut a lot of what's already in development that doesn't fit the new direction, which would look like they're cutting back to anyone not privy to inside information.

 

[KonradLaw]

If there's a major shift, naturally they would cut a lot of what's already in development that doesn't fit the new direction, which would look like they're cutting back to anyone not privy to inside information.

Well, they won't get a hit untill they try to have more mainstream stuff, like fantasy/superheroes etc. Plenty of great shows on Amazon, but there's nothing there that would scream "OMG! Could have been huge hit".

 

[RatskyWatsky]

AMC Developing Series Based On Black Lives Matter Book ‘They Can’t Kill Us All’

It examines how decades of racially biased policing in segregated neighborhoods with failing schools, crumbling infrastructure and too few jobs, has led to the high-profile cases of police brutality in Ferguson, Cleveland, Baltimore and elsewhere and the birth of Black Lives Matter movement seeking justice for the deaths of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Freddie Gray.

Written by LaToya Morgan (Into the Badlands, Turn: Washington’s Spies), who is under an overall deal at AMC, the potential series will also reflect current events and race relations through the stories and voices of fictional characters.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Starz Greenlights Drama Series ‘Vida’ In Push To Attract Latino Viewers

Vida is a half-hour drama series focusing on two Mexican-American sisters from the Eastside of Los Angeles who couldn’t be more different or distanced from each other. Circumstances force them to return to their old neighborhood, where they are confronted by the past and shocking truth about their mother’s identity, with Veronica Osorio (Hail, Caesar!, The Carmichael Show) and Melissa Barrera (Club de Cuervos, La Mujer de Judas) set to star.

Tanya Saracho (How to Get Away With Murder, Looking, Girls) will serve as showrunner with Alonso Ruizpalacios (Gueros, Verde) directing the first episode.

“Tanya explores identity, culture, gender and sexuality through the lens of a Latinix family and their community. It’s a deeply personal and relatable series about coming back home and finally growing up,” said Albrecht. “Vida reflects the intersecting worlds of Latin and American descendants of all genders and sexualities and speaks to the heart of Starz’s programming commitment to present compelling stories for traditionally underserved audiences. We are very proud to work with Tanya and help bring her vision to life.”

 

[berzeli]

George R.R. Martin’s ‘Nightflyers’ Syfy Pilot Eyes Series Order In Partnership With Netflix & Dan Cerone As Showrunner

Nightflyers, picked up to pilot by Syfy in June, is on track for a straight-to-series order. I hear that SyFy and Universal Cable Prods., which produces the project, are in negotiations with Netflix for the streaming network to come on board the supernatural thriller based on the novella by Game Of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin and the 1987 film. Terms of the agreement are still being hammered out but I hear it would likely involve Netflix getting international distribution and second window domestically and possibly co-producing the series.

Nighflyers, from UCP and and studio-based Hypnotic, has tapped Dan Cerone (The Blacklist, The Mentalist) as showrunner for the series, with Mike Cahill (I Origin, Another Earth, The Magicians pilot) set to direct the pilot/opening episode.

sounds like Netflix really wants in to the George R.R. Martin market

 

[Decado]

George R.R. Martin’s ‘Nightflyers’ Syfy Pilot Eyes Series Order In Partnership With Netflix & Dan Cerone As Showrunner


sounds like Netflix really wants in to the George R.R. Martin market

Does it? From that snippet sounds more like Syfy wants help with funding. Nothing screaming 'hit!' here.

 

[berzeli]

Does it? From that snippet sounds more like Syfy wants help with funding. Nothing screaming 'hit!' here.

You know what. I can have read that wrong, when I first read it it sounded to me like Netflix went "Oh hey this is really cool and we want to back it with all our resources", but it is equally possible (if not more) that they went "Sure you can have our money, but we want this [second window rights + co-pro] in return".

 

[Cornballer]

- History Orders Bill Clinton Impeachment Drama Series ‘The Breach’ From RJ Cutler

History has given the green light to The Breach: Inside The Impeachment of Bill Clinton, a six-part scripted drama series from R.J. Cutler based on Peter Baker’s bestseller The Breach: Inside the Impeachment and Trial of William Jefferson Clinton. FremantleMedia North America will produce in association with A+E Studios.

Written by Cutler and David K. Israel and to be directed and executive produced by Cutler, the political thriller, which is now casting, looks at how one of the nation’s biggest political scandals unfolded – from the revelation that President Clinton was having an affair with Monica Lewinsky, through the political combat that saw Hillary Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Prosecutor Ken Starr, Congressman Bob Livingston and many others dominating the national headlines. The series will take viewers inside Republican and Democrat war rooms, revealing the infighting among the President’s advisors, the secret back-channel negotiations between the White House and Congress, Tom DeLay’s strategy to force President Clinton out of office, and the Democrats’ pressure for Clinton to resign.

 

[berzeli]

‘Who Fears Death’ Post-Apocalyptic Drama Set At HBO With George R.R. Martin & Michael Lombardo Producing

HBO has closed deals for Who Fears Death, a drama series in development, which will be executive produced by Game Of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin and former HBO President Michael Lombardo.

Who Fears Death, which will be written by Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, is based on the sci-fi fantasy novel by Nnedi Okorafo. It was Okorafor who in July tweeted that her book is being optioned by HBO for a series produced by Martin.

Who Fears Death tells the coming of age tale of Onyesowu in post-apocalyptic North Africa where her story makes her an outcast. She must go on a journey from self-reproach to love, but to do so she’ll have to overcome untold obstacles—defeating her hated sorcerer father and becoming the instrument of prophetic deliverance for a land of oppressed people, all the while fighting to master the terrifying powers growing inside her.

Lombardo is getting more drama series on air now than when he was president of HBO.

 

[Cornballer]

- ‘True Lies’ Movie Rebooted As TV Series By Fox With McG, Marc Guggenheim & James Cameron Producing

True Lies, James Cameron’s hit 1994 action comedy movie, is headed to television. Fox has given a put pilot commitment to an hourlong reboot of the film, which comes from McG, Legends of Tomorrow co-creator Marc Guggenheim, Cameron’s Lighthouse Entertainment and 20th Century Fox TV.

 

[berzeli]

- ‘True Lies’ Movie Rebooted As TV Series By Fox With McG, Marc Guggenheim & James Cameron Producing

lol. I'm looking forward to the inevitable OT thread where people with nostalgia tinted glasses (because remember kids, True Lies sucks) have to struggle with McG directing it.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

- ‘True Lies’ Movie Rebooted As TV Series By Fox With McG, Marc Guggenheim & James Cameron Producing

Maybe they'll try to pair it with Lethal Weapon next season?

 

[Cornballer]

- Matthew Weiner's The Romanoffs adds Paul Reiser, Corey Stoll, and Salem's Janet Montgomery

Matthew Weiner’s new Amazon anthology The Romanoffs continues to pile in talent to fill out its world of eccentric characters, linked only by the fact that they all think they’re descended from the deposed Russian royal family. Today, the show reported that Girls’ Andrew Rannells, Mike Doyle, JJ Felid, Salem’s Janet Montgomery, Midnight In Paris and House Of Cards co-star Corey Stoll, and comedian Paul Reiser are all joining the series’ cast.

This crew of newcomers joins a number of already-announced cast members, including John Slattery, Christina Hendricks, and Isabella Huppert. Weiner has also reunited with a whole host of his old Mad Men crew, including costume designers, casting directors, and his director of photography. The new series will debut some time next year.

 

[berzeli]

Hot on the heels of Netflix's announcement of their first original Swedish production HBO Nordic just dunks on them:
HBO Nordic Moves Into Originals With Comedy Drama ‘Gösta’

HBO Europe is moving into originals in the Nordics with “Gösta,” a comedy drama about a child psychologist who moves from the city to small-town rural Sweden. He sets out to be the kindest person in the world, with both good and bad consequences.

“I want ‘Gosta’ to be a mix of comedy and Dostoevsky: as funny as possible and as serious as possible,” said Lukas Moodysson, the Swedish filmmaker behind the series. It is his first effort in TV, and he has written all eight episodes and will direct. Memfis Film will produce the series, and Lars Jönsson, Moodysson’s long-term collaborator at Memfis, will produce.

The series shoots in Sweden next year, before a 2019 release on HBO Europe’s channels and digital services. TrustNordisk will distribute “Gosta” outside HBO Europe’s footprint.

Lukas Moodysson (Show Me Love, Lilya 4-Ever, We Are the Best!) is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers in Sweden so this is a pretty big get to say the least.

 

[torre_avenue]

Sean Penn joins Beau Willimon's new Hulu series, "The First."

Set in the near future, The First will follow the first human mission to Mars, while exploring the challenges of taking the first steps toward interplanetary colonization. The project — which received a straight-to-series order from Hulu earlier this year — focuses not only on the astronauts, but also on their families and loved ones, as well as the ground team on Earth.

 

[firehawk12]

Sean Penn joins Beau Willimon's new Hulu series, "The First."

I swear people are going out of their way to avoid adapting the Kim Stanley Robinson books. lol

 

[Cornballer]

- Sabrina the Teenage Witch ‘Riverdale’ Companion Series In Works At the CW

The CW has put in development The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, eyed as a companion series to Riverdale for the 2018-19 season. It comes from the same team as Riverdale: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. TV, with Aguirre-Sacasa, who penned the Riverdale pilot, and Lee Toland Krieger, who directed it, reprising their roles on the Sabrina pilot.

A dark drama in the horror genre, The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina is worlds away from the bubbly 1996 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch comedy series starring Melissa Joan Hart. The new project reimagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.

 

[Joni]

Hope this involves some preparation this season, like a multi episode arc on Riverdale.

 

[Dan]

Sean Penn joins Beau Willimon's new Hulu series, "The First."

I have no idea what to expect from this in terms of tone or complexity.

Penn’s previous TV credits have mostly been confined to sitcom guest appearances (Friends, Two and a Half Men, Ellen), although he recently wrapped production on the HBO miniseries American Lion, in which he stars as President Andrew Jackson.

Wait, that can't be right, can it? There's been no news on this since Noyce quit as director nearly 1.5 years ago, and absolutely no other casting news.

I swear people are going out of their way to avoid adapting the Kim Stanley Robinson books. lol

In fairness, they've repeatedly tried. And realistically, I do wonder if its story and thematic priorities are just too incompatible with the necessary costs for anyone to do it justice.

 

[Cornballer]

Wait, that can't be right, can it? There's been no news on this since Noyce quit as director nearly 1.5 years ago, and absolutely no other casting news.

EW had this today:

He was announced to star as Andrew Jackson in HBO's American Lion biopic, but the project hit a snag last year when director Phillip Noyce bowed out of the series, reportedly over disagreements with the depiction of Jackson's more unflattering policies. Updates have been scarce since.

Yeah, sounds like it's on hold until they get a new director.

 

[berzeli]

- Sabrina the Teenage Witch ‘Riverdale’ Companion Series In Works At the CW

A dark drama in the horror genre, The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina is worlds away from the bubbly 1996 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch comedy series starring Melissa Joan Hart. The new project reimagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.

Dear god I should not want this as much as I do, but man.

Also pls include abs. Riverdale was great in this department.

 

[Dan]

Another day, another Netflix announcement.

Natasha Lyonne to Star in Netflix Comedy From Amy Poehler, Leslye Headland

The streaming giant has handed out an eight-episode straight-to-series order for an untitled comedy starring Lyonne and produced by Poehler and Leslye Headland.

The untitled project, referred during the development process as Russian Doll, follows a young woman named Nadia (Lyonne) on her journey as the guest of honor at a seemingly inescapable party one night in New York.

Lyonne created the series alongside Poehler and Headland (Paramount Network's upcoming Heathers reboot and features Bachelorette and Sleeping With Other People). Headland will pen the pilot and co-write the remaining seven episodes alongside Lyonne.

EW had this today:Yeah, sounds like it's on hold until they get a new director.

Makes sense. I should know better than to think Ausiello actually knows what's going on with anything.

 

[Cornballer]

- Dick Wolf Drama ‘F.B.I.’ in the Works at CBS

CBS is turning to “Law & Order” mastermind Dick Wolf as it searches for its next hit crime drama.

The network has given a series production commitment to a new drama with the working title “F.B.I.” about the inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Shooting is slated to begin next spring on a pilot, with subsequent episodes set to film in the summer. The series is planned to premiere in the 2018-19 season.

Wolf and Craig Turk will serve as executive producers with longtime Wolf collaborators Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski. Universal Television, where Wolf is based, will produce the series with CBS Television Studios.

CBS is committing to 13 episodes for season one — an uncharacteristic move for the network, which rarely forges ahead on series without shooting a pilot first. The production commitment is tantamount to a straight-to-series order, which means that producers are moving ahead on casting, scripts, and staffing.

 

[Cornballer]

- Fox Nabs CIA Drama ‘Classified’ From Marc Guggenheim & Howard Gordon As Put Pilot

Fox has given a put pilot commitment to Classified, an hourlong drama from Marc Guggenheim (Arrow) and Howard Gordon (Homeland). The project hails from Gordon’s Teakwood Lane and 20th Century Fox TV where the company is based.

Written and executive produced by Guggenheim, Classified is set in the high stakes world of the CIA. It is a character driven drama focusing on the dedicated attorneys who represent the Agency. At the heart of this show is a fearless woman trying to navigate her way to the top while putting out fires professionally and personally.

This marks the second put pilot commitment at Fox for both Guggenheim and Gordon.

Guggenheim also is writing and executive producing an adaptation of True Lies with McG and James Cameron producing. Guggenheim co-created and serves as an executive producer on the CW’s DC series Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow and also exec produces Trollhunters for DreamWorks Animation and Netflix. He is repped by WME.

Gordon’s Fox project with a put pilot commitment is cop drama Nightfall, with Sheldon Turner and Jennifer Klein. He also has a medical drama written by Jason Horwitch, which has a script commitment plus penalty at Fox. In addition to executive producing Homeland, which is heading into its seventh season on Showtime, Gordon is exploring potential new 24 offshoots. He is repped by WME.

 

[Cornballer]

- Jessica Williams To Topline Comedy In Works At Showtime, Jim Strouse To Direct

In a competitive situation, Showtime has landed a comedy series project from former The Daily Show correspondent Jessica Williams and indie filmmaker Jim Strouse, the duo behind The Incredible Jessica James, with Williams set to star.

Williams and Strouse will write and executive produce the comedy, which tells the story of an African American aspiring science fiction writer (Williams) who comes of age in Brooklyn. Strause will direct.

 

[Cornballer]

- NBC Developing Doctor Comedy Starring Sugar Lyn Beard From Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg

NBC has put in development a comedy from Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, Sugar Lyn Beard (Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates) and Sony Pictures TV, with Beard attached to star.

Co-written by Beard and Guy Endore-Kaiser (Comedy Central Roast of James Franco), the untitled half-hour centers on Dr. Olivia Boudreau (Beard), a 35-year-old hard-charging Doogie Howser-style prodigy. When she has a complete breakdown in the operating room and loses her medical license, she is forced to move in with her estranged hippy mom and her mom’s two best friends, who team up to help get her back on her feet, while teaching her all the life lessons she missed by going to med school.

 

[Cornballer]

- Bill Clinton & James Patterson’s Novel ‘The President Is Missing’ Lands At Showtime For TV Series Adaptation

In a very competitive situation, Showtime has acquired the rights to The President Is Missing, the upcoming thriller novel by President Bill Clinton and bestselling author James Patterson. It will be developed as a TV series.

The President Is Missing, which is set to be published in June 2018, hit the Hollywood marketplace at the beginning of August when Clinton flew to Los Angeles to pitch it alongside Patterson. Word is the duo had 16 meetings with film & TV studios, cable and streaming networks as well as producers, directors and financiers. Leslie Moonves, chairman and CEO of Showtime parent CBS Corp., is said to have helped secure the book for the pay cable network via his longstanding relationship with Clinton. Additionally, Patterson is in the CBS family. He has had an overall deal at CBS TV Studios and has two series on CBS, Zoo and the upcoming Instinct, as well as projects in development at the broadcast network.

“Bringing The President Is Missing to Showtime is a coup of the highest order,” Showtime Networks president and CEO David Nevins said. “The pairing of President Clinton with fiction’s most gripping storyteller promises a kinetic experience, one that the book world has salivated over for months and that now will dovetail perfectly into a politically relevant, character-based action series for our network.”

In The President Is Missing, published by Alfred A. Knopf and Little, Brown & Co., Clinton and Patterson tell the story of a sitting U.S. president’s disappearance, with the level of detail that only someone who has held the office can know.

 

[Cornballer]

- Divorce Comedy With Royal Family Twist From Meghan Markle’s Ex-Husband Trevor Engelson Set At Fox With Big Commitment

This is certain to be the most talked about project this broadcast development season. Fox has given a big put pilot commitment to a single-camera comedy from Modern Family executive producer Danny Zuker and producers Trevor Engelson (Snowfall), Jake Kasdan (New Girl) and Dan Farah (The Shannara Chronicles).

It is the untitled project’s premise that will get attention on both sides of the Atlantic: Divorce is hard. Sharing custody is harder when an ex-wife marries a British prince. Sharing custody with the British Royal family in the unforgiving spotlight of London’s tabloid media is next level.

That is because Engelson is the ex-husband of actress Meghan Markle who has been dating Britain’s Prince Harry.

It should be noted that the comedy is fictional, the lead characters are not based on Markle or Engelson, who have no kids together, and she has had no involvement in the project. Still, it is fair to say that the show was inspired by real-life events.

The comedy originated with Engelson who, in a conversation with fellow producer Farah, mused about what would’ve been if he and Markle had kids and he had to share custody with the British Royal family one day. Engelson and Farah liked the idea as a potential TV series which they pitched to WME. The agency packaged it up to sell to 20th TV with studio-based clients; Modern Family executive producer Danny Zuker, who was brought on to write, producer-director Jake Kasdan and his producing partner Melvin Mar, and British TV director Christine Gernon (Speechless) who was tapped to direct.

 

[Cornballer]

- ‘Veep’ Creator Armando Iannucci Gets HBO Pilot Order For Space Comedy

As his creation, the Emmy-winning HBO political comedy Veep, is heading to its final season, Armando Iannucci is making a return to the premium cable network while staying away from Washington (and mostly Earth altogether).

HBO has greenlighted a pilot and picked up back-up scripts for Avenue 5 (working title), a new comedy from Veep creator Iannucci. Created, written and executive produced by Iannucci, Avenue 5 is set in the future, mostly in space. (Word is that the company is set on a space ship.)

The pilot is expected to film in London in 2018.

 

[Cornballer]

- ‘Underworld’: Len Wiseman Spearheading TV Series Adaptation Of Movie Franchise

Len Wiseman and his production company Sketch Films are moving forward with the long-gestating Underworld TV series based on the popular action horror movie franchise, which is targeting the premium cable/digital space.

“The series will be a pretty big departure from the films,” Wiseman said. “I don’t want to say it’s more adult, but it’s definitely less comic book in its tone and character.”

Wiseman has been involved in all five movies in the Underworld franchise, which he helped launch — he co-wrote and directed the first two and produced the remaining three. Wiseman will executive produce the potential TV series via his Sketch Films with Lakeshore Entertainment’s Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi and Eric Reid. (Lakeshore produced the Underworld movies, with the company’s Rosenberg and Lucchesi serving as producers on all of them). The TV division of Sony, whose Screen Gems unit distributed the features, also is involved in the project.

The Underworld franchise, which kicked off with the eponymous movie in 2003, centers on Selene (Kate Beckinsale), a vampire who works as a Death Dealer. She started off by killing the lycans who allegedly slaughtered her family. The modestly budgeted films have grossed collectively more than half a billion dollars at the boxoffice.

The Underworld series has been carved out of Wiseman’s overall deal at 20th Century Fox Television. As part of that pact, Wiseman serves as an executive producer on the studio’s new Marvel Fox drama series The Gifted after directing the key second episode of the series. He has the distinction of having all pilots he has directed go to series, Hawaii Five-0, Sleepy Hollow, which he also co-created, Lucifer and A.P.B. He also served as an executive producer on the last three series.

 

[berzeli]

- ‘Veep’ Creator Armando Iannucci Gets HBO Pilot Order For Space Comedy

In for Iannucci. Would be amazing if they cast Capaldi again.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

- ‘Veep' Creator Armando Iannucci Gets HBO Pilot Order For Space Comedy

Oooh, interesting!

Also, note that it's filming in London - being in America for years was taking a toll on his family life so that's why he quit Veep. Cool to see HBO accommodate him.

 

[berzeli]

EuropaCorp Acquires ‘American Flagg! Comic Book Series For Television

EuropaCorp TV Studios has acquired the rights to Howard Chaykin’s classic comic book series American Flagg! for development as a television series.

American Flagg! is a satirical look at a high-tech consumerist future in which the U.S. government has relocated to Mars and left the nation’s Earth-bound populace to be governed by the all-encompassing corporation, “The Plex.” The saga’s hero, Reuben Flagg, is a former TV star with a naive understanding of the American dream who is drafted into law enforcement in an utterly corrupt, shopping mall-like Chicago. EuropaCorp is out to writers and directors and plans to begin shopping the project this year.

Originally published in 1983, American Flagg! has stood as a foundational element upon which the genre-subverting, adult-appeal, American indie comics “boom” of the 1980s was built. In the years since its initial release, Flagg! has been recognized for its prescient depictions of a future America colored by corporate-controlled government, the dominance of reality TV, militarized police, ubiquitous surveillance, tribalism in politics, media consolidation, and the resurgence of neo-Nazi fascism.

So it's going to be a documentary-TV show then? Hyuk-hyuk.

 

[Cornballer]

- Deadline: Sky Deutschland And Bavaria Team Up On Big Budget Event Series Reprise Of ‘Das Boot’

- ‘Das Boot’: Tom Wlaschiha, Vincent Kartheiser, James D’Arcy & Thierry Frémont Round Out Cast

Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones), Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men), James D’Arcy (Marvel’s Agent Carter) and Thierry Frémont (Juste un regard) round out the cast of Das Boot, as filming begins on the Bavaria Fernsehproduktion, Sky Deutschland and Sonar Entertainment co-production. The series is shooting in Prague, La Rochelle, Malta and Munich.

The four join an international cast including Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex), August Wittgenstein (The Crown), Rainer Bock (Inglourious Basterds), Rick Okon (Tatort), Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), Leonard Scheicher (Finsterworld), Robert Stadlober (Summer Storm), Franz Dinda (The Cloud) and Stefan Konarske (The Young Karl Marx).

Das Boot starts in autumn 1942, as U-boat warfare becomes increasingly brutal. While a very young crew put out to sea on a dangerous combat patrol, the Résistance rises in the U-boat port of La Rochelle.

The eight-episode event series is inspired by the Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated film by Wolfgang Petersen and Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s bestselling novel of the same name. It’s set to premiere at the end of 2018 in Sky territories Germany, Austria, Italy, UK and Ireland. Co-production partner Sonar Entertainment will handle international distribution in the rest of the world.

 

[Cornballer]

- Deadline with a bit of casting news for Alan Ball's new HBO series

Necar Zadegan (Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce) is set for a recurring role opposite Tim Robbins and Holly Hunter in Six Feet Under and True Blood creator Alan Ball’s new drama series for HBO. Written by Ball, the yet-untitled 10-episode series focuses on a contemporary multi-racial family: philosophy professor Greg Bishop (Robbins), his lawyer wife Audrey (Hunter), their three adopted children from Somalia (Jerrika Hinton), Vietnam (Raymond Lee) and Colombia (Daniel Zovatto), and their sole biological child (Sosie Bacon). This seemingly perfect, progressive family is in actuality harboring deep rifts. Zadegan will play Layla Shokrani.

Not particularly interesting unto itself, though it does hint that the show is moving forward relatively soon since they've cast this much of it(?)

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Not particularly interesting unto itself, though it does hint that the show is moving forward relatively soon since they've cast this much of it(?)

Sweet! I imagine, in terms of big drama series releases, it'll be Westworld in Q1, followed by Sharp Objects in late Q1/early Q2, and Alan Ball in late Q2/early Q3? Then either Game of Thrones or True Detective as the big Q4 title? (+ The Deuce)

 

[Cornballer]

- Natascha McElhone To Star In Beau Willimon’s ‘The First’ Hulu Series

Natascha McElhone is set to star opposite Sean Penn in The First, House of Cards creator Beau Willimon’s straight-to-series drama, slated to premiere on Hulu and U.K.’s Channel 4 in 2018.

British actress McElhone is currently the female lead opposite Kiefer Sutherland on the ABC drama series Designated Survivor, playing President Tom Kirkman’s (Sutherland) wife, Alex Kirkman. She is still filming Designated Survivor‘s second season, which premieres tonight. After wrapping her commitment to the Washington DC thriller drama later this season, McElhone will segue to The First.

Written by Willimon, The First follows the first human mission to Mars, exploring the challenges of taking the first steps toward interplanetary colonization. The story focuses not only on the astronauts, but also on their families and loved ones, as well as the ground team on Earth.

Details about McElhane’s role are not being revealed but I hear her character is described as the visionary British CEO of the company behind the mission to Mars.

Sweet! I imagine, in terms of big drama series releases, it'll be Westworld in Q1, followed by Sharp Objects in late Q1/early Q2, and Alan Ball in late Q2/early Q3? Then either Game of Thrones or True Detective as the big Q4 title? (+ The Deuce)

There was some casting news for GoT yesterday which implied that they wouldn't be done shooting until August 2018, so my guess is that they won't air it until early 2019. True Detective is much more likely for 2018. They might have TD ready for the Summer?

 

[Cornballer]

- Fox Buys ‘Silicon Beach’ Drama From McG & ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Alum With Penalty

A decade after The O.C. ended its four-season run on Fox, the series’ executive producer McG is back at the network with another soapy drama about young people in an affluent area on the Southern California Coast. Silicon Beach, from McG, The Vampire Diaries co-executive producer Brian Young and 20th Century Fox TV, has received a script commitment plus penalty from Fox.

Written by Young, Silicon Beach — named after the West Los Angeles area close to the Pacific Coast that is home to over 500 tech startup companies — centers around 26-year-old Maya Carter who lives at home with her family and is someone you’d never guess has the potential to change the world. Then again, you’re not billionaire Alex Silva, the amoral venture capitalist who plucks her from her modest life so she can do just that. Surrounded by unimaginable wealth and opportunity, Maya fights to make her mark and keep her soul in the cutthroat world of tech startups, and she does it all bathed in the warm glow of the California sun, steps from the clear blue waters of the Pacific, in the place where millennial ambitions are rewarded with overnight millions: Silicon Beach.

Young executive produces alongside McG and Mary Viola via Wonderland. 20th Century Fox TV, where McG is under an overall deal, is the studio.

 

[Cornballer]

- 'Party of Five' TV Reboot in the Works With Immigration Twist

Original series creators Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman are readying a reboot of their former Fox drama with an immigration twist.

The original Party of Five ran for six seasons and focused on five siblings — Bailey (Scott Wolf), Charlie (Matthew Fox), Julia (Neve Campbell), Claudia (Lacey Chabert) and their baby brother Owen — who unite as a family after their parents are killed in a car crash. The reboot would be about a first-generation Latino family who have immigrated to the U.S. and are living through the highs and lows as they learn to make it in a new country. (The fate of the family's parents is being kept under wraps.)

The reboot is in the early stages — a network is not yet attached — and producers Sony Pictures Television Studios have yet to hear the pitch, sources say. Sony TV declined comment.

 

[Cornballer]

- ‘Deadly Class’ Comic-Based Drama From Russo Brothers Gets Syfy Pilot Order

Syfy has given a pilot order to Deadly Class, a drama series based on the graphic novel of the same name by Rick Remender and Wes Craig, with The Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo executive producing.

The adaptation, written by Remender and Miles Feldsott, was originally put in development in summer 2016 at Sony Pictures TV Studios, which will co-produce the pilot with Syfy sibling Universal Cable Prods.

Deadly Class is a coming of age journey set against the backdrop of late 80s counter culture. It follows a disillusioned teen recruited into a storied high school for assassins. Maintaining his moral code while surviving a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques, and his own adolescent uncertainties may prove fatal.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

There was some casting news for GoT yesterday which implied that they wouldn't be done shooting until August 2018, so my guess is that they won't air it until early 2019. True Detective is much more likely for 2018. They might have TD ready for the Summer?

Ah, I hadn't seen that. Cool cool.

 

[Cornballer]

- ‘The Nice Guys’ Female Series Reboot ‘The Nice Girls’ Set At Fox With Penalty

Fox has given a script commitment plus penalty to The Nice Girls, a contemporary female take on the Joel Silver-produced 2016 feature film The Nice Guys, which starred Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe and was co-written and directed by Silver’s frequent collaborator Shane Black.

The project hails from Silver Pictures through Silver’s first-look deal at Lionsgate and will be co-production between Lionsgate TV, 20th TV and Silver Pictures TV.

The TV series adaptation will be written by Michael Diliberti, who wrote 30 Minutes or Less for Sony/Columbia. Silver and Rodney Ferrell, president of Silver Pictures Television, will serve as executive producers alongside Diliberti and Ken Kao.

 

[Cornballer]

- ‘Kung Fu’ Female-Led Series Reboot From Greg Berlanti & Wendy Mericle Set At Fox As Put Pilot

In a competitive situation, Fox has landed Kung Fu, a drama with a female lead based on the 1970s David Carradine-starring TV series. The project, executive produced by Greg Berlanti, was given a put pilot commitment.

Written by Arrow executive producer and longtime Berlanti collaborator Wendy Mericle, Kung Fu is a sequel to the original series, created by Ed Spielman, which was set in the 1880s and chronicles the adventures of Kwai Chang Caine (Carradine), a Shaolin monk who travels the American Old West armed only with his spiritual training — including a ton of aphorisms — and his skill in martial arts in search of his half-brother.

The new Kung Fu follows the adventures of Lucy Chang, a Buddhist monk and kung fu master who travels through 1950s America armed only with her spiritual training and her martial arts skills as she searches for the man who stole her child years before. When she teams with JT Cullen, a charming Korean war vet with his own secrets, the two form an unlikely alliance that allows Lucy to continue her search while also coming to the aid of people in need. (It is unclear whether Carradine’s character and Lucy Chang are related.)

If the project makes it to series, it would mark a milestone as a broadcast drama series with two Asian leads.

 

[Zoe]

- ‘Kung Fu' Female-Led Series Reboot From Greg Berlanti & Wendy Mericle Set At Fox As Put Pilot

Since when is "Cullen" an Asian name?

Edit: haha, they changed it already:

If the project goes to series, it would mark a rare Big 4 broadcast drama series with an Asian character at the center.

 

[Cornballer]

...and it was all set up to cast Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim as the leads.

 

[gforguava]

- ‘The Nice Guys’ Female Series Reboot ‘The Nice Girls’ Set At Fox With Penalty

Nothing about this makes sense.

 

[berzeli]

Nothing about this makes sense.

The Nice Guys was at one point a TV series (CBS was attached), and it's a buddy/mismatched pairing procedural show which is what Fox does. It's not completely nonsensical tbh.

 

[gforguava]

The Nice Guys was at one point a TV series (CBS was attached), and it's a buddy/mismatched pairing procedural show which is what Fox does. It's not completely nonsensical tbh.

My point was more that trying to bank on the name recognition on a property such as this is so bizarre, the name and concept are so generic that you aren't going to be getting much mileage out of them.

 

[Cornballer]

- Amazon Developing ‘Ringworld’, ‘Lazarus’ & ‘Snow Crash’ In Genre Series Push

Amazon has set up three high-profile drama series for development: Ringworld, based on Larry Niven’s classic science fiction book; Lazarus, based on the comic book by Greg Rucka (Jessica Jones); and Snow Crash, based on Neal Stephenson’s cult novel.

The streaming platform has been ramping up its slate with new projects as part of a programming strategy overhaul in search of big, buzzy shows. A major emphasis has been put on fast-tracking big-scope genre drama series in the mold of Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, with Sharon Tal, brought in earlier this year as Head Of Event Series, tasked with spearheading efforts. The deals for Ringworld, Lazarus and Snow Crash are part of that push.

Ringworld, a co-production with MGM, is based on Niven’s science fiction book series from the 1970s and tells the story of Louis Gridley Wu, a bored man celebrating his 200th birthday in a technologically advanced, future Earth. Upon being offered one of the open positions on a voyage, he joins a young woman and two aliens to explore Ringworld, the remote artificial ring beyond “Known Space.” The books cover their thrilling journey as they attempt to fulfill their original mission to uncover the mysteries of Ring.

Syfy previously developed the books as a four-hour miniseries with William S. Todman Jr. and Edward Milstein as exec producers. A bit of trivia — Ringworld was part of the same 2013 Syfy longform development slate as an adaptation Philip K. Dick’s The Man In The High Castle, which also didn’t go forward at Syfy but went on to become Amazon’s flagship drama series.

Written by Rucka based on his comic book, Lazarus is set in an alternative near future where the world has been divided among 16 rival families, who run their territories in a feudal system. Each family has allies and enemies among the other families. To crush uprisings and fight wars, most families have a Lazarus: a one-person kill squad.

Rucka executive produces with Michael Lark (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Angela Cheng Caplan.

Snow Crash, a co-production with Paramount TV, is a one-hour science fiction drama based on Stephenson’s novel, which is set in futuristic America. In reality, Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo’s CosoNostra Pizza Inc., but in the Metaverse he’s a warrior prince. Plunging headlong into the enigma of a new computer virus that’s striking down hackers everywhere, he races along the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain.

Snow Crash is executive produced by Joe Cornish (Ant-Man) and Kennedy Marshall Company’s Frank Marshall (Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark).

Amazon recently gave straight-to-series orders to a comedy starring Saturday Night Live alumni Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph and Tong Wars, a drama from filmmaker Wong Kar Wai and Homicide creator Paul Attanasio. Additionally, Amazon picked up Upload, a single-camera comedy pilot from The Office creator Greg Daniels, and Making Friends, a multi-camera one from How I Met Your Mother creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey and Sony TV.

 

[Decado]

Interesting that Amazon is tripling down on sci-fi. First two sound very interesting if they get the right talent involved.