Latest in Development

Bunim/Murray Productions announced today that it has extended its contract with EVP Scott Freeman, who leads the reality producer’s development team, and upped Erin Cristall to SVP and Rachel Speiser to VP in the department. The group has developed such formats as The Bad Girls Club (Oxygen), Love Games (Oxygen) and Sa…

EXCLUSIVE: Former Scrubs executive producer Tad Quill has signed a two-year overall deal with Universal Media Studios. Under the seven-figure pact, Quill will develop new projects for the studio. He also will work part-time on UMS' new comedy series for NBC Perfect Couples, from creators/executive producers Jon…

Gena McCarthy has joined Lifetime as SVP reality & alternative programming. McCarthy will start on July 6, overseeing the development and production of unscripted series for the female-centered cable network and reporting to JoAnn Alfano, EVP entertainment. The top reality post at Lifetime has been vacant since the…

Warner Bros is giving the Glen David Gold novel Carter Beats the Devil another chance to beat death by development hell. The studio has optioned the novel, and set Michael Gilio to write the script. Jon Shestack will produce, and Ginny Brewer and Jeremy Stein will also be involved as producers. The book weaves a tale…

EXCLUSIVE: In a move that has writers and their reps buzzing, Warner Bros has just put out word that it will start to enforce delivery dates on first screenplay drafts. That means writers who signed contracts had better deliver on time, or risk the wrath of the studio. Deadlines are rarely enforced by studios, under…

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran Brillstein Entertainment Partners TV executive Becky Clements is being tapped as president of the as-yet-unnamed new TV production company from Shawn Levy and Marty Adelstein. It will be based at 20th Century Fox TV with a 2-year overall deal that is now being finalized. The pact may also include a…

Another Bravo development executive, Cori Abraham, is moving to sibling Oxygen. Abraham has been named SVP development for the female-centered channel. She follows Amy Introcaso-Davis, who moved from Bravo to Oxygen in early 2008, shortly after NBC Universal's acquisition of Oxygen. Abraham, who will oversee network's…

A new drama TV project that has Kevin Spacey attached to star as a charismatic cult leader has been stirring interest in the marketplace. So far, the project targeted for cable has not yet landed. Supposedly, there’s some interest from HBO, Showtime, Starz and FX. On TV, Spacey most recently starred in the HBO movie…

Bedrock Studios partners Cary Granat and Ed Jones have made their first overall talent deal. They’ve signed Andrew Adamson and Aron Warner to a multi-year development deal to make films under their newly formed Strange Weather Films banner. Adamson worked with Granat when he directed for Walden Media  and Disney the…

EXCLUSIVE: Director-producer Michael Dinner has inked a new two-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television. He has been at Sony TV since 2005 under overall deals focused on developing and directing network and cable pilots. The new pact also includes writing series projects after Dinner's first network script, ATF…

EXCLUSIVE: FX is teaming with Matthew McConaughey and his production company J.K. Livin for a comedy project. Tentatively titled Kick Ass Militia, the single-camera comedy is based on source material by JR Reed, an old friend of McConaughey's. It centers on two brothers whose divergent views are always pitting them…

EXCLUSIVE: Seasoned drama writer-producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts have inked an overall deal with ABC Studios. Under the two-year pact, the two are joining the studio's new ABC drama series Off the Map as executive producers and will also develop new projects. Berg and Harberts will serve as senior level writ…