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[RatskyWatsky]

And in weirder news:
Crackle Orders New Drama ‘Start Up’ Starring Martin Freeman & Adam Brody

Is Sony actually going to try and make Crackle a thing? (Still can't understand why they have Crackle, Playstation Vue, and whatever the hell Powers is airing on. But I guess Sony is going to Sony).

Rule #1 of Crackle: Don't try to make sense of Crackle.

 

[berzeli]

a.k.a. copying and pasting from Deadline part infinite.

ABC Picks Up Kevin Williamson’s ‘Time After Time’; Reese Witherspoon, Fazekas/Butters, Sander/Moses Dramas

Time After Time, written/exec produced by Williamson based on the 1979 novel by Karl Alexander, chronicles the epic adventures of young H.G. Wells and his Time Machine using the book and its feature adaptation as a starting point. The studio behind the project, Warner Bros. TV, had been high on it, making “if come” deals with casting directors in the event that it was picked up.

Time After Time is the latest high-profile time-travel project to get a pilot order this season, joining NBC drama Time, from Shawn Ryan & Eric Kripke, and Fox comedy from Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Julius Sharpe. (Additionally, the CW has new time-travel superhero drama series Legends of Tomorrow).

The Meaghan Oppenheimer project, which the We Are Your Friends scribe wrote, follows the personal and professional life of a ruthless divorce attorney in Dallas, which begins to unravel when her emotionally damaged, love-addicted sister resurfaces triggering self-destructive tendencies and exposing long-hidden family secrets. Witherspoon executive produces alongside her producing partner at Pacific Standard, Bruna Papandrea. Oppenheimer co-executive produces. ABC Studios is the studio.

The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez, written by Cuban-American playwright Charise Castro Smith, is described as a sexy revenge drama with a supernatural twist and as MacBeth with a Cuban twist. It centers on Sofia Valdez, an immigrant who rose from rags to riches and is a celebrated Miami entrepreneur and a champion for immigrant rights. But her success is fueled by an insatiable ambition that could destroy her family, a vendetta against the lover who betrayed her, and ghosts from the past who threaten to reveal the dark sacrifices Eva Sofia made to attain the American Dream. Marvel’s Agent Carter executive producers/showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters executive produce alongside Castro Smith. ABC Studios, where Fazekas and Butters are based, is the studio.

Spark is described as a lavish primetime genre soap of passion, greed and hope in a Steampunk reality circa 2016. Set in an alternate history where gas and coal fuel the world, the drama centers on the battle for power between two rival families and a rebellious young woman with a spark of invention that could level both their empires. Michael Cooney (Identity) wrote the script and will executive produce with Sander and Moses. This is a re-teaming of Cooney and Sander/Moses whose drama Runner went to pilot at ABC last year, landing Paula Patton for the lead.

tl;dr: Ok then, meh, meh, WTF!?

ABC Pilot Orders: Drama ‘Notorious’, 4 Comedies, Including Shondaland’s ‘Toast’

Notorious, from Jeff Kwatinetz’s The Firm, had a put pilot commitment. Inspired by the relationship between famed criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos and long-time Larry King Live executive producer Wendy Walker, it was written by Drop Dead Diva creator Josh Berman and blogger Allie Hagan (Suri’s Burn Book). Described as a provocative look at the interplay of criminal law and the media, it follows the professional and personal relationship between a charismatic attorney and a powerhouse television producer as they attempt to control the media, the justice system, and ultimately – each other.
...
Notorious is ABC’s third legal drama pilot this season, indicating a big push in the arena, joining The Jury, also from Sony TV, and Conviction.
...
Toast marks the first half-hour pilot order for Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers’ Shondaland, which had been looking to expand in comedy. Foley and Grunberg wrote the project, which was originally developed during the 2014-15 season and was rolled. The two executive produce with Shondaland’s Rhimes and Betsy Beers. None will act. Toast revolves around engaged couple Max and Paige who, over their wedding rehearsal dinner, have their eclectic family and friends give toasts recalling anecdotes about the couple — but flashbacks reveal that the toasts don’t always get it right, as we watch the true story of their complicated, funny and relatable road to marriage. Foley has recurred on Rhimes‘ Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. This marks Shondaland’s second pilot this season, joining drama Still Star-Crossed, also at ABC Studios.

Hail Mary is a half-hour adaptation of the hourlong Austrian series Braunschlag. The project, from Tariq Jalil’s Intrigue, was written/executive produced by The McCarthys creator Brian Gallivan and executive produced by Seth Gordon (The Goldbergs) and Jalil.

In the ABC version, a young small-town mayor named Mary Wolf has dysfunctional siblings, a dying father, disgruntled citizens, a nearly bankrupt town and the mafia breathing down her neck. Only a miracle can help her. So … she fakes one.
...
The untitled Weeks/Mackay project centers on an unapologetic lesbian and her best friend, a neurotic straight male, as they navigate their dysfunctional, co-dependent friendship and the world of dating. The Mindy Project co-star Weeks and fellow Brit Mackay (Peep Show) wrote the script and will co-executive produce. Reich, who supervised the writers, executive produces. This marks his second pilot order; he also has Pearl at ABC.

Like Toast‘s Foley and Grunberg, Weeks’ services on the pilot are strictly writing-producing. Anne Brogan, Val Ames, Melanie Stokes and Siobhan Bachman also executive produce for London-based Kindle Entertainment.

In The Fluffy Shop, which had a put pilot commitment, comedian Gabriel Iglesias plays a stepfather and boss to his family and friends, while he navigates his home life during the few days he spends off the road each week. Tim Doyle and Jay Lavender wrote the script with Iglesias, and Doyle serves as showrunner. The three executive produce with Joe Meloche and Tomorrow Studios’ Becky Clements and Marty Adelstein.

The project was inspired by Iglesias’ life experience including the challenges of managing a home life during the few days he spends off the road each week. This is Iglesias’ first network pilot, having previously done a recurring role on another ABC multi-camera comedy headlined by a Latino comedian, Cristela Alonzo’s Cristela, which Clements and Adelstein also exec produced.

tl;dr: Meh, super meh, "the original is better", maybe, meh.

CBS Orders ‘Kicker’ Comedy Pilot From Tina Fey, Jack Burditt & Robert Carlock

CBS has given a pilot order to The Kicker, a multi-camera project from the 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt trio of Tina Fey, Jack Burditt and Robert Carlock. The project, from Universal TV and Fey’s studio-based Little Stranger, had a big pilot production commitment.

Written by Burditt, The Kicker centers on an oddball athlete who drives family, friends and strangers insane after he unexpectedly finds himself cut from his professional football team. Burditt, Fey and Carlock executive produce with 3 Arts’ David Miner.

tl;dr: Almost hopeful.

ABC Orders ‘The Second Fattest Housewife In Westport’ Comedy Pilot

ABC wrapped a flurry of pilot orders today with a pickup of The Second Fattest Housewife In Westport, a single-camera family comedy from novelist/TV writer Sarah Dunn, producer Aaron Kaplan of Kapital Entertainment and ABC Studios.

The Second Fattest Housewife In Westport is narrated by Katie, a (slightly) larger, strong-willed mother raising her flawed family of three in a wealthy town filled with “perfect” wives and their “perfect” offspring. Dunn and Kaplan executive produce.

Dunn worked on Murphy Brown, Veronica’s Closet and Spin City, writing Part 1 of Michael J. Fox’s final Spin City episode, before she segued to writing books. Her novels include The Big Love, which has been optioned by Universal, and Secrets to Happiness. In TV, Dunn recently served as a consulting producer on the ABC/ABC Studios’ comedy Manhattan Love Story.

tl;dr: Um.

 

[Pachimari]

I will have an interest in anything Kevin Williamson will work on.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Art & John Linson Developing ‘Lawrence In Arabia’ Middle East Drama For HBO

Former Sons Of Anarchy executive producers Art Linson and John Linson are developing Lawrence In Arabia, an HBO period drama series set in the Middle East. The project is based on Scott Anderson’s bestselling book Lawrence In Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly And The Making Of The Modern Middle East, published in 2014.

Written by Oscar-nominated Anthony McCarten (The Theory Of Everything), the drama is described as chronicling the adventure of T.E. Lawrence, David Hogarth, William Yale, and Rudolph McGovern as they dangerously navigate the burgeoning Arab Revolt in the Middle East in the years leading up to World War I. McCarten, Art and John Linson executive produce, while Anderson serves as consultant.

Will it ever see the light of day? Vote now with your phones!

 

[RatskyWatsky]

AMC Sets Late-Night Talk Show Hosted By Kevin Smith & Greg Grunberg

The 30-minute Geeking Out (working title) will take a timely look at pop culture through a fanboy lens and feature talk, clips, celebrity interviews and out-of-the-studio segments.

The show is expected to premiere with a special episode covering San Diego’s Comic-Con in late July, with eight more episodes to run weekly starting in late summer.

 

[Dan]

It's 2016 and Kevin Smith is not only still a thing, but he's thriving.

I don't understand.

Art & John Linson Developing ‘Lawrence In Arabia’ Middle East Drama For HBO

Will it ever see the light of day? Vote now with your phones!

I could be interested in this if handled right. Certainly I think it's something HBO could properly support on the production side of things.
---

Fox Orders ‘Chad’ Comedy Pilot Starring Nasim Pedrad As Teen Middle Eastern Boy

Fox has given a late pilot order to Chad: An American Boy, a single-camera Middle Eastern family comedy co-created by and starring Saturday Night Live alumna Nasim Pedrad and directed by Jason Winer.

Written by Pedrad & Rob Rosell, Chad centers on a 14-year-old boy (Pedrad) in the throes of adolescence is tasked with being the man of the house, which leaves him with all the responsibilities of being an adult without any of the perks. Pedrad, Rosell and Winer executive produce with 3 Arts’ Michael Rotenberg and Dave Becky. 20th Century Fox TV is the studio.

I don't even know what to say about this.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Fox Orders ‘Chad’ Comedy Pilot Starring Nasim Pedrad As Teen Middle Eastern Boy

I don't even know what to say about this.

What the hell? lol

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Laura Dern To Star In HBO Death Row Drama In Development From Alex Gibney

The untitled drama centers on a court-appointed psychiatrist (Dern) who must determine from her twisted yet humanizing diagnostic exchanges with death row inmates if they are sane enough to be killed by the state. Gibney is executive producing with Dern, while Jayme Lemons (Enlightened) serves as co-executive producer. Robert Kealing, an investigative and criminal justice reporter, is a consultant.

This marks the narrative debut of Gibney, who has emerged as one of the leading documentarians of the past decade with such films as the Oscar-nominated Enron: the Smartest Guys in the Room, Oscar-winning Taxi to the Dark Side and most recently, Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine.

At HBO, he recently did the Emmy-winning Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief and Emmy-nominated Sinatra: All or Nothing at All. Gibney has tackled the topic of death row inmates in the CNN documentary series Death Row Stories.

GIMMEGIMMEGIMMEGIMMEGIMME

 

[TheOddOne]

- Variety: Showtime In Talks For Daniel Craig Drama ‘Purity’ From Scott Rudin, Todd Field.

Showtime is in talks for a big commitment to a limited series starring Daniel Craig in an adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s novel “Purity,” to be produced by Scott Rudin and written by Todd Field.

Rudin is said to have held a round of meetings with Showtime, Netflix and at least three other outlets earlier this week in search of a straight-to-series order.

Given the auspices, the project generated significant heat and multiple bidders. Industry sources said producers were seeking a 20-episode order but it’s not clear if that is the exact deal under consideration at Showtime. Sources cautioned that the talks were early and other bidders were still in the mix.

“Purity,” published in September, tells the story of an aimless young woman named Purity but known as Pip. She was raised in unusual circumstances in Northern California and winds up bouncing around after college from Oakland to Bolivia to Denver in a series of jobs and relationships with equally offbeat characters.

 

[berzeli]

HBO Europe to Produce Original Drama Series for Scandinavia

HBO Europe will begin producing original drama series in Scandinavia as it expands its originals push beyond its four Eastern European territories of Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary.

Antony Root, HBO Europe's executive vp original programming and production, said Monday in Berlin that the company was now in talks with Scandinavian producers to begin producing original drama series for its HBO Nordic service. In common with its approach across Europe, HBO Europe will set up a local production hub to hire local writers to produce content for the region.

The move comes just weeks after HBO CEO Richard Plepler announced similar plans for Spain.

The streaming "war" is in full force over here. HBO is now the third streaming service having announced original content for the Nordic market (first two being local Cmore and Viaplay). Actually, it's the fourth if you count the fact that the public broadcaster has produced series for its streaming service. Now I'm just waiting for Netflix to do the same.



And in further Nordic related news; Ruben Östlund making his TV debut with “You Know That Weekend You Were Away With The Kids?

Östlund is also making his TV debut with “You Know That Weekend You Were Away With The Kids?,” an English-language comedy turning on adultery.

The series will explore the topic of adultery from different perspectives, said Ostlund. The pilot has been acquired by a soon-to-be-announced U.S. network.

Uh. Can't wait to see the great American public react to Östlund's style, I mean this is how some people reacted to Force Majeure and that's his tamest film:

(seriously, that second quote is from one of my favourite reviews, the review itself is funny enough. But then you get to the picture in the byline.)

 

[RatskyWatsky]

HBO Europe to Produce Original Drama Series for Scandinavia

That's cool. I always forget that HBO produces original shows for their Latin and Asian branches too. (probably because they never promote them to their US subscribers)

 

[Pachimari]

Can't wait to see what they come up with for the Scandinavian market. I have basically ignored Viaplay and I don't know Cmore.

 

[Khoryos]

Spark sounds a lot like a Girl Genius TV series, so that's got my attention.

 

[berzeli]

I was going to post the original Deadline article but I just love the AV Club headline so much:
The Witch’s Robert Eggers to make miniseries about immortal sex machine Rasputin

Deadline is reporting that Robert Eggers, the writer/director behind the recent horror hit The Witch, has been tapped to write and direct a miniseries about Grigori Rasputin, the Russian mystic adviser to Tsar Nicholas II who was famous for sleeping with all of the women in Russia and for having magic powers. The miniseries will last “six to eight episodes” and will follow Rasputin’s “origins in Siberia,” his “rise to power,” and of course his “bloody death in St. Petersburg.” The story of Rasputin’s death will probably have to be stretched across more than one episode, though, as he supposedly survived being stabbed, poisoned, and shot multiple times in one night before he actually drowned to death when his assassins threw his body in a river. Of course, the evidence suggests that the ridiculous stories surrounding his death are totally fake, but the idea of him having magic powers is cooler than historical accuracy anyway

I'm so in.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I was going to post the original Deadline article but I just love the AV Club headline so much:
The Witch’s Robert Eggers to make miniseries about immortal sex machine Rasputin

I'm so in.

Same, sounds great!

 

[berzeli]

Netflix Confirms First German Series 'Dark' From Baran bo Odar

Netflix has confirmed it will do its first German-language series with Who Am I? director Baran bo Odar and the producers behind foreign-language Oscar winner The Lives of Others.

The series, entitled Dark, is described as a mysterious saga following four families living in a small German town. Their idyllic life is torn apart when two children mysteriously disappear and the families' dark secrets begin to come to the surface.

Jantje Friese, who co-wrote Odar's cyber-thriller Who am I? penned the screenplay for the series.

Netflix has given a 10-episode order for Dark, which is set to begin production this year and go out to Netflix subscribers worldwide in 2017. Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann and Justyna Musch will produce.

“Dark is an incredible German story that will appeal to a global audience.” said Erik Barmack, vp, international originals at Netflix. “Bo and Jantje are creative talents that have developed great projects in both Berlin and Hollywood, and we are thrilled to be working with them on our first original series entirely authored, shot and produced in Germany.”

Odar scored a local hit with Who Am I? In 2014. The cyber thriller about Berlin hackers, which Wiedemann and Berg produced, starred Tom Schilling, Elyas M'Barek and Hannah Herzsprung and grossed more than $6 million at the local box office.

Netflix's move into German television drama is part of the company's overall global strategy. The company has multiple foreign-language series in development or production, including British royalty drama The Crown, Italian crime thriller Suburra and French political series Marseilles.

By investing more in local content, Netflix hopes to attract more foreign subscribers and to boost its library of originals worldwide.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Netflix Confirms First German Series 'Dark' From Baran bo Odar

I love the attention Netflix is giving to its international territories.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

‘Walking Dead’ Producers Prep Korean Drama Series Based On Robert Kirkman Script

The pre-apocalyptic series, about a family living under the threat of a deadly meteor headed toward Earth, will be filmed as a Korean drama.

The series will debut its first 16-episode season on Korean broadcast TV and worldwide on Viki. It will take place over the course of five years with five seasons anticipated. Filming will begin later this year.

Why not?

 

[berzeli]

Ryan Coogler Teams With Destin Daniel Cretton & Chinaka Hodge For TV Drama ‘Minors’

Creed writer-director Ryan Coogler is teaming up with Short Term 12 helmer Destin Daniel Cretton and poet/playwright Chinaka Hodge to develop Minors, a new television drama series produced by Charles D. King’s Macro.

Drawing from Creeton’s experiences working in residential foster care, Hodge’s background teaching underserved youth in San Francisco Bay area continuation schools, and Coogler’s upbringing in the East Bay, Minors promises to take an unflinching look at institutionalization, examining juvenile facilities and the children who grow up in that system. The series will show how that system shapes young people over a one-year period. Chinaka will write the series, and Coogler and Cretton will direct.

Please god make this happen. Short Term 12 was excellent, and everything about this sounds amazing.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Showtime Developing ‘The Brand’ Prison Gang Drama From ‘Narcos’ José Padilha

Written by Padilha and Alessandro Camon (The Messenger), The Brand is inspired by the 2004 New Yorker article by author David Grann. It tells the epic tale of the rise of prison gangs, particularly the Aryan Brotherhood, in the 1970s and 1980s, when mass incarceration resulting from the war on drugs caused the prison population to explode.

Netflix Sets ‘Godless’ Limited Series From Scott Frank & Steven Soderbergh

Netflix is prepping Godless, a limited period drama series from the Out of Sight duo of Steven Soderbergh and Scott Frank.

Written, directed and executive produced by Frank, Godless is a Western set in an 1800s New Mexico mining town. The project, which is currently casting, is set to film in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Want. Both.

 

[berzeli]

Showtime Developing ‘The Brand’ Prison Gang Drama From ‘Narcos’ José Padilha
Netflix Sets ‘Godless’ Limited Series From Scott Frank & Steven Soderbergh
Want. Both.

Yup.

In "why is berzeli still excited about a freaking Nancy Drew show" news:
Sarah Shahi To Play Nancy Drew In CBS Pilot

For the past couple of seasons, Shahi has been a regular on the CBS/Warner Bros. TV’s series Person of Interest though she has not appeared in all episodes of the fourth as well as the upcoming fifth season. Despite all indications pointing to Season 5 being POI‘s last, CBS has said that it would not make a decision before the show returns on the air. There is no Season 5 premiere date set yet though CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller said in January that the show would come back in the spring. Regardless, Drew has Shahi in first position. And both shows are on the same network. [personal note: lol, rip POI]

In Drew, Shahi joins previously cast Vanessa Ferlito as an NYPD homicide detective, Anthony Edwards as Nancy’s dad and Felix Solis as NYPD lieutenant. Rater and Phelan executive produce with Dan Jinks.

And as AV Club put it, "making good on CBS’ promise that its Nancy Drew “will not be Caucasian,” Shahi comes from an Iranian, Persian, and Spanish background." #diverseNancy

 

[RatskyWatsky]

And as AV Club put it, "making good on CBS’ promise that its Nancy Drew “will not be Caucasian,” Shahi comes from an Iranian, Persian, and Spanish background." #diverseNancy

lol

 

[Zoe]

... really? And her father will be Mark Greene?

 

[Dan]

Good for Sarah Shahi, I guess. I did enjoy Life back during its shortlived run. Can't say I'm likely to ever glance at a CBS procedural however. Maybe someday I'll try Person of Interest.

Showtime Developing ‘The Brand’ Prison Gang Drama From ‘Narcos’ José Padilha

Hmm... this sounds like something I'd rather read about than spend many hours soaking in as a show.

Netflix Sets ‘Godless’ Limited Series From Scott Frank & Steven Soderbergh

Totally down for this.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Hmm... this sounds like something I'd rather read about than spend many hours soaking in as a show.

It sounds like something Oz fans would dig. Did you like that show?

 

[RatskyWatsky]

AMC Orders ‘The Terror’ Anthology Drama Series

AMC has greenlighted The Terror, an anthology drama series based on the 2007 bestselling novel by Dan Simmons. Scott Free, Alexandra Milchan’s Emjag Productions, Entertainment 360 and AMC Studios are producing the 10-episode straight-to-series drama for a 2017 premiere.

The Terror has been in the works for 3 years at AMC where Scott Free had a first-look deal.

Written by feature writer David Kajganich (True Story), the series is set in 1847, when a Royal Naval expedition crew searching for the Northwest Passage is attacked by a mysterious predator that stalks the ships and their crews in a suspenseful and desperate game of survival. It is a fictionalized account of Captain Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror.

Soo Hugh (The Whispers) has joined the series as co-showrunner alongside Kajganich.

Nice to finally see this get picked up. I always thought it was one of the more interesting sounding series in development at AMC.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Julia Louis-Dreyfus To Produce ‘Soldier Girls’ Miniseries For HBO

The mini, now in development, is based on the praised 2014 non-fiction book Soldier Girls: The Battles of Three Women at Home and at War by Helen Thorpe. Based on interviews and research, it tells the story of three real-life women who enlist in the National Guard and serve their country during the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, which lead them to form life-long friendships.

Black List scribe and former soldier Nicole Riegel will write the adaptation in her TV debut and will serve as co-producer. Louis-Dreyfus will executive produce alongside her producing partner/husband, Brad Hall.

Hopefully Louis-Dreyfus' star power will be enough to give this series the push it needs to actually make it on the air...

 

[berzeli]

WGN America Gives Pilot Orders To ‘Roadside Picnic’ Strugatsky Bros. Drama, ‘Scalped’ DC Comics Adaptation

These are the first pilot orders at WGNA, which until now had employed the straight-to-series model.

Roadside Picnic, an adaptation of one of the most famous novels of top Soviet/Russian science fiction writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, was written by Transcendence scribe Jack Paglen, with Terminator Genisys and Game of Thrones helmer Alan Taylor attached to direct and Neal Moritz producing. Sony Pictures TV, where the project was originally developed as a spec, is the studio, partnered with Tribune Studios.

Based on the Strugatskys’ novel, Roadside Picnic explores a near-future world where aliens have come and gone, leaving humankind to explore the wondrous and dangerous mysteries left behind. The story also explores the societal ramifications of their visit, as seen through the eyes of Red, a veteran “stalker” who has made it his life to illegally venture into the once inhabited zone and scavenge the abandoned remains of the alien culture. Paglen and Taylor executive produce with Original Film’s Moritz and Vivian Cannon.

Published in Russia in 1972 under original title Пикник на обочине, Roadside Picnic has enjoyed an enduring popularity and was adapted to the big screen by top Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky as the influential 1979 movie Stalker.

Kind of want. Transcendence was a bit of a mess writing wise.

Scalped was written by Doug Jung (Banshee) based on the eponymous graphic novel series written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by R.M. Guéra.

Scalped is a modern day crime story set in the world of a Native American Indian reservation, and explores power, loyalty, and spirituality in a community led by the ambitious Chief Lincoln Red Crow, as he reckons with Dashiell Bad Horse who has returned home after years away from the reservation. The project will employ a predominately Native American cast, a first for a television series in recent history.

(emphasis mine)
That fact is kind of sad, hope the show will turn out well.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I really hope Scalped turns out well. I've only read the first volume of the comic, but I liked what I read and think it could make for a great TV show.

 

[Cornballer]

- Deadline: FX Picks Up Getty Family ‘Trust’ Drama From ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Team

The Seventies are big on TV now with HBO’s Vinyl and Netflix’s upcoming The Get Down and now the Me Decade is coming to FX via Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy and Christian Colson with Trust. The cabler announced today that it has ordered a 10-episode first installment of the limited series about John Paul Getty III, the heir to the great American fortune.

Starting in 1973, the first installment will detail the kidnapping of then 16-year old Getty by terrorists and his family’s initial refusal to pay the requested ransom

“Simon, Danny and Christian have done a magnificent job of telling the story of the Getty family empire and its tumultuous history with Trust,” said Eric Schrier co-President of Original Programming for FX today in a statement. “Simon’s script wonderfully dramatizes the notorious and bizarre kidnapping of J. Paul Getty’s grandson. It’s the perfect way to open this limited series, allowing us to see how three generations, including one of the world’s richest men, clash when family, fortune and reputation are in jeopardy.”

Developed under the first look deal between FX Productions and the director and writer of the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, Trust will be EP’d by Boyle Beaufoy, Colson. Written by Beaufoy and helmed by Boyle, the limited series will be produced by FX Productions, Cloud Eight Films, Decibel Films and Snicket Films Limited.

 

[dead souls]

Not another period piece.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

(FX is cool and I'm looking forward to this but)

Not another period piece.

I'm sick of the 70s already.

 

[dead souls]

I'm sick of the 70s already.

I was even born in the 70s (just barely) and I'm sick of them too.

 

[berzeli]

So Keanu Reeves just joined a Swedish TV show and for a streaming service at that. What the fuck, I get that it's aimed at the international market and it's apparently a co-production with someone but still. This is just bizarre to me. (the source is in Swedish, sorry about that)
edit: Traci Lords is in it as well. What the actual fuck is going on.
I feel like I should point out that it's being shot in the US, so it's not like they're not flying them to Sweden.
Probably should talk a bit about the show: It's called Swedish Dicks, it stars Peter Stormare as an ex stuntman who now works as a PI and deals with "the weirdest cases in LA".
And I can't leave y'all without a pic of Stormare Reeves, and Stormare's glorious moustache:

edit 2: Source in English.

 

[Pachimari]

I'm super excited about that show now.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

So Keanu Reeves just joined a Swedish TV show and for a streaming service at that. What the fuck, I get that it's aimed at the international market and it's apparently a co-production with someone but still. This is just bizarre to me. (the source is in Swedish, sorry about that)
edit: Traci Lords is in it as well. What the actual fuck is going on.
I feel like I should point out that it's being shot in the US, so it's not like they're not flying them to Sweden.
Probably should talk a bit about the show: It's called Swedish Dicks, it stars Peter Stormare as an ex stuntman who now works as a PI and deals with "the weirdest cases in LA".
And I can't leave y'all without a pic of Stormare Reeves, and Stormare's glorious moustache:

edit 2: Source in English.

Wow, that sounds interesting. And out of nowhere too!

 

[RatskyWatsky]

HBO Developing ‘High Rise’ Drama Series

HBO has put in development drama series High Rise, from Blue Valentine co-writer Cami DeLavigne, Jeff Kwatinetz’s The Firm and The Weinstein Company.

Written by DeLavigne, High Rise is set in present day New York. It tells the story of a young, ambitious and brilliant architect who forms an unlikely bond with the daughter of a real estate tycoon. With her help, his meteoric rise through New York’s design world will be threatened by the flesh and blood ghosts of his not so distant past that come back to haunt him.

 

[berzeli]

HBO Developing ‘High Rise’ Drama Series

I got my hopes up that this would be connected with the recent Ben Wheatley film. But, no.

Oh, and:

by the flesh and blood ghosts of his not so distant past that come back to haunt him

*yawn*
It's not interesting. It's HBO.



edit: bless the Deadline comment section:

 

[poppabk]

So Keanu Reeves just joined a Swedish TV show and for a streaming service at that. What the fuck, I get that it's aimed at the international market and it's apparently a co-production with someone but still. This is just bizarre to me. (the source is in Swedish, sorry about that)
edit: Traci Lords is in it as well. What the actual fuck is going on.
I feel like I should point out that it's being shot in the US, so it's not like they're not flying them to Sweden.
Probably should talk a bit about the show: It's called Swedish Dicks, it stars Peter Stormare as an ex stuntman who now works as a PI and deals with "the weirdest cases in LA".
And I can't leave y'all without a pic of Stormare Reeves, and Stormare's glorious moustache:

edit 2: Source in English.

Sounds kinda like the fall guy except for the retired bit.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

edit: bless the Deadline comment section:

truth

 

[Dan]

I got my hopes up that this would be connected with the recent Ben Wheatley film. But, no.

I had the exact opposite reaction when I saw the headline in my Twitter feed.

"Please don't be another adaptation of JG Ballard's novel. Do something original."

 

[berzeli]

BBC two orders Quacks, a Victorian medicine comedy series

The extraordinary, daring and wild days of Victorian medicine is the setting for brand new BBC Two comedy series Quacks, following the progress of four young medical pioneers fighting to make a mark on the world - beat their rivals - and save lives.

Starring Mathew Baynton (The Wrong Mans; Horrible Histories) as a fledgling psychiatrist, Rory Kinnear (Count Arthur Strong; Skyfall) as an arrogant showman surgeon, Tom Basden (Plebs; The Wrong Mans) as a hedonistic dentist turned anaesthetist, and Lydia Leonard (River; Life In Squares) as a headstrong social campaigner, Quacks is created and written by James Wood, who co-created the BAFTA award-winning BBC Two hit comedy Rev. Rupert Everett (The Musketeers, St Trinian's, An Ideal Husband) will also guest star during the series.

Quacks is a 6x30 series set in the 1840s, when medical science as we know it was still in its infancy, when doctors were just as likely to kill their patients as cure them, when they experimented on themselves and each other. The show explores an era of surgery when the operating theatre was just that: a theatre, full of spectacle and showmanship, where people would come to watch revolutionary procedures, or a surgeon try to beat his amputation speed record.

Essentially, what if the people in The Knick weren't geniuses. I'm so, so, so in.

 

[RootCause]

Oooh Sarah Shahi! I'm in.

 

[berzeli]

Drama TV Series About 1970s New York Cosmos Soccer Team In the Works

The spectacular rise and subsequent fall of the New York Cosmos soccer team will be the subject of drama TV series. The project, now in development, will track the brief existence of the North American Soccer League, which spanned 1968-1984, through the story of its most famous club, the New York Cosmos.

Set in the chaotic ’70s in a nearly bankrupt New York City of blackouts, riots, the Son of Sam serial killer case and the dawn of Studio 54, the drama centers on the world’s first soccer dream team.
...
The drama project is done with the cooperation of the New York Cosmos, with former captain Werner Roth serving as an executive producer alongside Rohan Media’s Roy Houlette and Primary Wave’s Ben Press and producer Mark Ross. Search is underway for a writer.

(emphasis mine)
Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage To Develop ‘Calendar Girl’ Books As Cable TV Series

A decade after adapting Cecily von Ziegesar Gossip Girl book series into the successful CW show, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are taking on the Calendar Girl book series. ABC Signature, ABC Studios’ cable division, has optioned Audrey Carlan’s steamy 12-book series for Schwartz and Savage’s studio-based Fake Empire to develop for television.

Launched last year by Waterhouse Press, Calendar Girl — tipped by USA Today as “the next Fifty Shades” — follows lead character Mia Saunders, who becomes a high-priced adult escort in order to pay off the gambling debts of her father. Each of the 12 books takes place in a different city with a new client during a different month of the year.

(emphasis mine)

... I got fucking nothing.

 

[Mac@NeoGAF]

So Keanu Reeves just joined a Swedish TV show and for a streaming service at that.

This whole setup just blows my mind.


..but I'm really looking forward to watching it.

 

[Cornballer]

- Deadline: Emma Stone & Jonah Hill To Star & Cary Fukunaga To Direct ‘Maniac’ Dark Comedy Series For Paramount TV & Anonymous

Emma Stone and Jonah Hill are set to star and Cary Fukunaga to direct Maniac, a blockbuster half-hour series package from Paramount TV and Anonymous Content.

The dark comedy is based on the 2014 Norwegian series about a guy who lives a fantasy life in his dreams but in reality is locked up at an institution. The project will be seeking a straight-to-series order, possibly for two seasons, with Fukunaga likely directing all episodes. Search is underway for a writer.

Fukunaga, Stone and Hill executive produce with Anonymous Content’s Michael Sugar and Doug Wald. The project stems from Fukunaga and Anonymous’ deals with Paramount TV.

 

[Dan]

It sounds like something Oz fans would dig. Did you like that show?

I watched the first two seasons of Oz. It was ok. Very soapy, which contributed to it being watchable considering the subject matter. A show with a serious interest in exploring the rise of prison gangs like the Aryan Brotherhood sounds like much less fun.

WGN America Gives Pilot Orders To ‘Roadside Picnic’ Strugatsky Bros. Drama, ‘Scalped’ DC Comics Adaptation


Kind of want. Transcendence was a bit of a mess writing wise.

(emphasis mine)
That fact is kind of sad, hope the show will turn out well.

Nice to hear Scalped is inching forward. That has so much potential.

Not sure what to make of a Roadside Picnic series...

- Deadline: FX Picks Up Getty Family ‘Trust’ Drama From ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Team

First installment, limited series. So... is this designed as an anthology?

- Deadline: Emma Stone & Jonah Hill To Star & Cary Fukunaga To Direct ‘Maniac’ Dark Comedy Series For Paramount TV & Anonymous

I feel like mental institution fantasies are pretty played out at this point.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

BBC two orders Quacks, a Victorian medicine comedy series

Sounds intriguing! If it's even half as good as The Knick, I'm in!

Drama TV Series About 1970s New York Cosmos Soccer Team In the Works

Could be cool, but I'm sick of the 70s already.

Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage To Develop ‘Calendar Girl’ Books As Cable TV Series

...oh. I thought this was a remake of the Helen Mirren movie. :/ From their description, it sounds like Starz is already beating them to the punch with The Girlfriend Experience.

 

[CreeperBlocks]

I hope Scalped gets picked up by a channel like APTN or Showcase in Canada

 

[berzeli]

Not sure what to make of a Roadside Picnic series...

Incredible source material, mediocre creative team. I'm torn.

Sounds intriguing! If it's even half as good as The Knick, I'm in!

Rev. is brilliant and he's written some other good stuff as well, and the cast is stupendous.

Could be cool, but I'm sick of the 70s already.

Deadline's writeup sounds like a lesser version of Vinyl (urgh Vinyl...), but my excitement level will be entirely dependent on who they hire to write the bloody thing.

...oh. I thought this was a remake of the Helen Mirren movie. :/ From their description, it sounds like Starz is already beating them to the punch with The Girlfriend Experience.

I'm not sure who they're targeting with it. Is it going to be as trashy a Gossip Girl but smutty? Wait, a smutty Gossip Girl, I want this. They're targeting me. Fuck.