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[03/06/20 - 11:40 PM]
Development Update: Friday, March 6
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!


AJ AND THE QUEEN (Netflix) - RuPaul Charles took to social media with the news the streaming service has canceled the newcomer after one season. (@RuPaul)
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST PREQUEL SERIES (Disney+, New!) - Josh Gad's LeFou and Luke Evans's Gaston are set to be the focus of a six-episode prequel limited series to the 2017 feature film, which "will take place well before the events of the film and also expand the Beauty and the Beast universe." Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz are spearheading the project, with composer Alan Menken in talks to return as well. Gad, Kitsis and Horowitz will pen the scripts with all three executive producing alongside Evans for ABC Signature Studios. No other details were given. (THR.com)
CALL ME KAT (FOX) - Cheyenne Jackson is set to star opposite Mayim Bialik in the multi-camera straight-to-series comedy as "Kat's (Bialik) high school crush, Max, who recently returned from teaching English overseas and now works as a bartender across the street from the cat café. He's getting over a long-term relationship with an ex that Kat imagines to be the most beautiful woman in the world - but Max values personality and humor over physical attractiveness." (Deadline.com)
DARE ME (USA) - Executive producer Gina Fattore has signed an overall deal with Universal Content Productions, producer of the freshman entry. (THR.com)
ECHO (NBC) - Richard Brooks has been tapped for a role on the Janina Gavankar/Reid Scott-led drama pilot as Carl Gaines, "an old-school police officer." (Deadline.com)
HARLEM'S KITCHEN (ABC) - Sheryl Lee Ralph and Miguel Gomez are set to star opposite Delroy Lindo in the drama pilot. Ralph will play Cecilia "CC" Rice, "the Rice family matriarch. Devoted wife of Ellis. Caring mother of their three daughters, and a world-class pastry chef. CC is a strong, traditional black woman who is secretly the driving force behind her husband's success. CC has patience in spades, and always puts the needs of her family ahead of her own. It's time for that to change." And Gomez is Marco, "a talented line cook and an undocumented El Salvadorian who trekked to America with his little brother. Like his mentor and surrogate father, Ellis, Marco had nothing when he landed in Harlem. Ellis took Marco in and made him employee number one at RICE. Marco repaid Ellis with hard work, quickly rising from dishwasher through the ranks of the kitchen. Marco is a surrogate member of the Rice family and the embodiment of the American Dream. Passionate, sensitive and sexy - Marco is easy to love and quick to fall in love." (Deadline.com)
MY VILLAGE (ABC) - Rachel Sennott, Joey Bragg, Emma Caymares and Austin Crute are all bound for the Kyra Sedgwick-led comedy pilot, as is Pamela Fryman, who will direct and presumably executive produce. Sennott will play Jackie, "Jean's oldest child; she's bright, wry and sarcastic, using her wit in place of emotions"; with Bragg as Freddie, "Jean's baby; he's handsome, earnest, bright and sensitive"; Caymares as Celia, "Freddie's girlfriend; pretty, vain, utterly confident"; and Crute as Lane, "Jackie's roommate; thrilled to have Jean around as a surrogate mother-figure." (Deadline.com)
NIGHT SCHOOL (NBC) - Josh Segarra has scored the Kevin Hart role in the film-turned-multi-camera comedy pilot: Teddy Walker, "a charming salesman." (Deadline.com)
OLD MAN, THE (Hulu) - Gbenga Akinnagbe and Bill Heck are bound for the Jeff Bridges-led drama. Akinnagbe will play Julian, "a highly-trained special ops contractor sent to hunt down Chase (Bridges), with whom he shares many similarities." And, in a recasting, Heck will play a younger version of Bridges' character Dan Chase. He replaces Austin Stowell. (Deadline.com)
POWER BOOK III: RAISING KANAN (Starz) - The prequel series has tapped London Brown as Marvin, "the muscle for Rag's drug ring"; Malcolm Mays as Lou-Lou, "Raq's (Patina Miller) confidant"; Shanley Caswell as Burke, "Detective Howard's (Omar Epps) newly minted partner"; Toby Sandeman as Symphony Bosket, who "quickly form an authentic romantic connection that [Raq] will challenge them both"; Joey Bada$$ as Unique, "undeniably the biggest drug kingpin in South Jamaica, Queens"; and Quincy Brown recurs as Crown, "a local music producer." (Deadline.com)
RAISED BY WOLVES (A.K.A. PLEASE HOLD FOR FRANKIE WOLFE) (CBS) - Julie Bowen has signed on for the title role on the multi-camera comedy pilot, about Frankie Wolfe, "a very successful and fiercely independent crisis manager whose world is turned upside down when she decides to let someone into her life for the first time-an 11-year-old girl who she adopts and raises with the occasional help of her fragile, nervous wreck of a sister." Bowen's Frankie is "a totally put-together powerhouse whose aggressive, blunt-talking style belies the damage incurred by literally being raised by Wolfes (Barbara and Arnie)." In addition, sitcom staple James Burrows is expected to direct and executive produce. (Deadline.com)
SOMEONE OUT THERE (NBC) - Kimia Behpoornia is bound for the comedy pilot as Sydney Koh, "a hipster who is Chloe's (Aimee Carrero) assistant." (Deadline.com)
TALES FROM THE LOOP (Amazon) - Creator Nathaniel Halpern has signed an overall deal with Fox 21 Television Studios, home to the upcoming Amazon series. (Deadline.com)
TURNER & HOOCH (Disney+) - Vanessa Lengies has scored a role on the upcoming feature-turned-TV series as Erica, "the chief trainer at the US Marshal K-9 facility. When she's with a dog, her cute awkwardness disappears and she is a natural leader. Erica is less comfortable with people, especially cute guys like Scott Turner (Josh Peck), who is oblivious to Erica's interest in him. Erica is on board to train his 90 pound slobbery dog, Hooch, as a new K-9 for the US Marshall, and it's clear she's looking forward to work with Hooch... and Scott." (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED FILM RE-ENACTMENT PROJECT (FOX) - Ramon Rodriguez is the first to be cast in the drama pilot as Jax, "a former Marine who owns the local hardware store in the small town of Ridgeville. Jax has a mysterious background and is one of the few people in town that didn't grow up there. Jax bonds with Stella, who has just returned home after 14 years away and he has a soft spot for Collin and his friends, who frequent his store to support all their adventures." (Deadline.com)
WESTWORLD (HBO) - "Game of Thrones" showrunners will cameo in the upcoming third season as "technicians at Delos, the sinister company that manufacturers android hosts in the sci-fi drama series." (EW.com)
WIFEY (HBO, New!) - Frankie Shaw is developing the Judy Blume novel as a limited series at the pay channel. Said effort "chronicles one life-changing summer of Sandy Pressman, a 1970s suburban housewife whose predictable existence compels her to make her rich sexual fantasies a reality." She'll co-write the debut installment with Jeanette Collins and Mimi Friedman as well as direct and executive produce alongside said duo, Blume, David Levine, Joy Gorman Wettels, and Steve Golin of Anonymous Content. Jasmine Daghighian of Shaw's Our Lady Productions will co-executive produce (Variety.com)





  [march 2020]  
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· AJ AND THE QUEEN (NETFLIX)
· BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (DISNEY PLUS)
· CALL ME KAT (FOX)
· CALL YOUR MOTHER (ABC)
· DARE ME (USA)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ECHO (NBC)
· GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
· HARLEM'S KITCHEN (ABC)
· IT'S OUR TIME (DISNEY PLUS)
· NIGHT SCHOOL (NBC)
· OLD MAN, THE (FX)
· POWER BOOK III: RAISING KANAN (STARZ)
· SOMEONE OUT THERE (NBC)
· TALES FROM THE LOOP (AMAZON)
· TURNER & HOOCH (DISNEY PLUS)
· WESTWORLD (HBO)
· WIFEY (HBO)
· WILDE THINGS (CBS)





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