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Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
- Grant Dekernion (newbie!) has sold a new animatged comedy to FXX, a new spinoff network from FX. The show is about a gay white rapper recently released from prison and searching for redemption. (Newbie sells series about gay rapper? Why didn’t we think of that ourselves? D-d-d-dang.)
- Roberto Orci (STAR TREK reboot and more) has written the pilot for a drama described as “a Latino James Bond” for the El Rey network, also a new spinoff, this one from parent company Univision. The series is about a soccer star/playboy who doubles as a spy and has already been green-lighted for production. (This one’s live action…although we’re sensing a certain animation type vibe.)
- Amy Holden Jones (MYSTIC PIZZA) has sold THE BLACK BOX to ABC with an initial order of 13 episodes. The drama series follows a famed neuroscientist who struggles with mental illness. (How does she struggle? Does she know karate? Kung fu? Sorry, we’re just crazy, zany verb fetishists at heart.)
- John Eisendrath (the upcoming series THE BLACKLIST) will be showrunner of THE BLACK BOX when it goes into production. (Cuz he’s really good in the room, we suppose. Although we have to admit to being impressed by his credit on FELICITY, which often seemed to be about mental illness, didn’t it?)
- Tony Tost (LONGMIRE) is writing HEARTLAND TRUCKING, a drama pilot for Showtime about, you know truckers. Oh, and mobsters too. (Tost is very hot now due to the almost-success of LONGMIRE. We just hope that HEARTLAND TRUCKING will have a hero under 60…because LONGMIRE doesn’t, see, and…never mind.)
Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
- James Ellroy (some kind of novelist or something) is writing SHAKEDOWN, a drama about real-life scum sucking pig private eye/fixer Fred Otash for FX. (Which we’ve always thought of as the “class” network – not.)
- Stephen Lloyd (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) will be moving over to MODERN FAMILY after HIMYM ends its run. (Which we think is wonderful for MODERN FAMILY and its viewers cuz we luvs HIMYM. You were expecting snark, weren’t ya? Hope you enjoyed the curveball.)
- Leslie Greif (HATFIELDS & MCCOYS) is developing WHITEY, a comedy for A&E. (Or maybe for History Channel, or…or…yeppers, no one’s decided yet, but it’s real, for sure. Must be, they’ve got the dullest actor from THE OFICE – David Koechner – already set to star.
- Have you seen this headline: “Scripps Has Huge Slate of New Programs in Pipeline for Its Six Cable Networks: 52 New Shows for 2013-14 Season?” Well, don’t get too excited. Looking down the list, not a single one of them is, you know, “scripted.” (Which means they may hire writers but you’ll be called Associate Producers or some such. Sigh.)
Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
- Brian Bradley & Steven Cragg (HAPPY ENDINGS, SCRUBS) have made an overall deal with Universal Studios. (Which, as SCRUBS fans, gives us something to smile about.)
- John Glenn (EAGLE EYE feature film) has created FIX IT MEN, a time travel drama for ABC Studios that has no network involvement yet. (But it does have Mark Gordon as producer, which could be even better in terms of it being a successful, money-making show in the future.)
- J. Michael Straczynski is parterning with the Wachowskis on SENSE8, a science fiction drama for Netflix that already has been greenlighted for at least 10 episodes. (Anybody for a pool about how long Joe stays with the project?)
- Dick Wolf, Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, & Matt Olmstead (CHICAGO FIRE) are working on an as yet untitled CF spinoff about the Chicago Police Department. (Wonder which of that team will be the first to “mysteriously disappear” or lost a limb or receive some other kind of gangland-style “correction” after the new show gets rolling.)
Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
- Angela Santomero (BLUE CLUES) is developing SARA SOLVES IT, a children’s show for Amazon Studios which will be one of several completed pilots that Amazon will test online, looking for audience feedback, at al. (Which brings up a question: Can any tech company ever make decisions based on its gut? And another question: Can any artistic endeavor be successful if it doesn’t come from the gut?)
- Ron Moore (anybody remember BATTLESTAR GALACTICA? ) has gotten the go-ahead into series by Syfy for his hight-tech medical thriller, HELIX. (Which sounds to a us a bit too similar to some old Michael Crichton book. Anybody remember THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN?)
- Daron Nefcy (a newb illustrator from Cal Arts) has sold STAR AND THE FORCES OF EVIL, an animated series about a magical teen princess from another dimension, to the Disney Channel. (Which tells us that the way the characters look will probably be more important than the writing – and that it pays to go to school at a place known within the biz as “Disney U.”)
- Brian Buckner (TRUE BLOOD) is moving up to showrunner of TRUE BLOOD, replacing Mark Hudis, who replaced Alan Ball. (Which tells us that this isn’t an easy show to take charge of. But at least there’s no Robert Kirkman prob.)
Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
- Melissa Rosenberg (TWILIGHT) has signed on as showrunner for ABC’s drama, BIG THUNDER. (Which, since pilots don’t get “showrunners,” they get “Executive producers,” probably means the series, based on Disney’s (and therefore ABC’s) Big Thunder Mountain ride, is in the bag.)
- Tyler Perry (TYLER PERRRY’S HOUSE OF PAIN, etc. ) has shifted his TBS comedy, FOR BETTER OR WORSE, to OWN, which will own the first two seasons and also produce a second. (Which is what happens when a smart, rich writer buys a network, which for all practical purposes is what Perry has done.)
- Emily Spivey (UP ALL NIGHT) has made a deal to develop-write-produce series at 20th Century Fox TV, starting with the animated MURDER POLICE. (Which has to be in better shape than UP ALL NIGHT, which NBC seems to have totally destroyed because, well, probably because it could.)
- Kurt Sutter (SONS OF ANARCHY) & John Shiban (HELL ON WHEELS) are developing what FX calls “an action horror drama” for the network. (Which is fine by us because it can’t be any worse than the horror of Seth MacFarlane singing, dancing, and driving all the A List stars out of the Oscars audience last Sunday night.)