Spike TV Announces Five Projects Now In Development

Spike TV has, today, unveiled a diverse development slate of five different scripted programs. The projects in development, if greenlit, would each be a special-event series.

"Our move into scripted special-event series is a major step in the evolution of the brand that now reaches a more balanced audience," said Sharon Levy, Executive Vice President, Original Series, Spike TV. "Each project features our development's mission to thrill, inspire, and entertain the viewer. We also see this as a stepping stone to developing original scripted dramatic series."

Levy will oversee the scripted projects for the network. Spike's last foray into scripted event series was "The Kill Point," in July 2007. The event series in development include the following:

Hit Men - From Leslie Greif ("Hatfields & McCoys"), Chris Collins ("Sons of Anarchy") and Rock God and multi-hyphenate Gene Simmons, comes "Hit Men," a thrilling look into the untold story of how the mafia took control of the music industry of the 1970's. From rising artists to radio stations to record labels, the impact organized crime had on all facets of the music business in this era was all-consuming and changed the music world forever. The event series will be produced by Thinkfactory Media.

Whitey Bulger Project - Written by Academy Award-winning writer, Bobby Moresco ("Crash") and produced by Jonathan Koch and Steve Michaels of Asylum Entertainment ("The Kennedys"), this movie event chronicles the raw and unfiltered rise and fall of Whitey Bulger, one of America's most notorious criminals. This four-hour epic delves deep into the life of Boston's most infamous organized crime leader, who ruled New England's criminal underworld with an iron fist for decades. Bulger's larger-than-life story takes us from his days as a low-level street thug to FBI informant, to mob boss bent on undermining the competition, to the FBI's most wanted list, and fugitive on the lam for sixteen years.

The Lamp - In the 1970's, the United States military set up some very unorthodox and secretive departments to research a wide range of areas from telekinesis to ambient noise to body language. Among these included the Research and Acquisitions Department, designed to covertly find and acquire all artifacts mentioned in religious and mythological texts to determine if any of them truly claimed magical powers. The search came up empty until they came across the legendary Aladdin's Lamp. The project comes to Spike from the Levinson / Fontana Company with Brant Englestein ("Borgia") as writer.

Untitled Benghazi Project - This project lifts the curtain on the untold behind-the-scenes story of the 2012 terrorist attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. Based on declassified documents and testimonials from those who were on the ground, this miniseries will shed light on the actual events surrounding the tragic deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, and the heroic actions of CIA operatives that saved dozen of American lives. The untitled Benghazi project comes to Spike from Pilgrim Studios and Emmy Award-winner Craig Piligian ("Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy," "The Ultimate Fighter") who is executive-producing, along with Pilgrim Studios' Beth Miller.

iHuman - The stories of how technological innovation is transforming the human condition will be at the center of a series of films from Raw TV, the BAFTA-Award winning team behind the critically-acclaimed film, The Imposter. As technology becomes such an integral part of our lives and our most personal information becomes captured in a "cloud," how does this affect human interaction? From the comfort of a laptop, we are now able to do everything from cheating on our spouses, to sending SWAT teams to celebrities' homes, to bringing about revolution or crashing financial markets. The connections in the digital age are actually resulting in a disconnection from humanity and this film series will explore this in a way never before seen on television. Raw TV's credits also include "Gold Rush," "Locked Up Abroad," and "Paranormal Witness."

That Timely Continuation of L.A. CONFIDENTIAL Might Be Happening As a TV Series...

Fresh off of L.A. Confidential's box office success in 1997, it's now reported by Deadline that James Elroy,  the author of the novel the film was based on, and New Regency have several networks vying for his script which is cited as a direct continuation of the '97 film that starred Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Guy Pearce, and Russell Crowe. 

Ellroy wrote the project on spec as a TV drama series, which is being pitched to broadcast and cable networks as well as emerging distribution platforms, with multiple outlets interested. I hear theproject is eyeing a straight-to-series commitment. The sequel continues the themes and stories from L.A. Confidential, a murder mystery which examined the intersection of organized crime, police corruption, celebrity and tabloid journalism in 1950s Los Angeles. 

If this happens this will be the second series based off of James Elroy's work, with the other being an series bought by FX to be based on Ellroy’s 2012 novella "Shakedown" 

the project is set in the tabloid world and underbelly of Los Angeles circa the late 1950s and centers on the city’s top informant/operator/wire tapper/fixer, Fred Otash,who lives and works where the glamour and the grime intersect. A fictionalized version of legendary Hollywood vice cop-turned-private eye Otash, who exposed the sins of the rich and famous in the 1950s magazine Confidential, also appeared in Ellroy’s novels The Cold Six Thousand and Blood’s a Rover.

It appears acclaimed period-set dramas like FX's "The Americans", HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" and AMC's "Mad Men" are maybe paving the way for more like them, which is never a bad thing if you ask me.
What do you all think? Is it way too late for anyone to care about a sequel to L.A. Confidential? Will these series' take off or fall flat? 

NBC Renews Five Dramas For Fall 2013 Lineup

President of NBC Entertainment Jennifer Salke has announced the return of five of their dramas. Revolution, Chicago Fire, Parenthood, Grimm and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Each show has been given a full 22 episode run.

"On the verge of our 2013 fall scheduling decisions, we're pleased to renew five drama series that will be important to our new season line-up," Salke said. "We're proud and very appreciative of all of the actors, producers, writers and directors who work so hard to deliver such high-quality work week in and week out. These complex shows represent a broad range of genres and tones, and all of them stand out for us in a television landscape now filled with one-hour series. We're especially pleased to be renewing "Revolution" and "Chicago Fire" - two first-season successes - and there will be more returning series announcements made in the next couple of weeks."

"Revolution," the Monday night drama that centers on a family trying to reunite amidst a worldwide power failure, is executive produced by Eric Kripke, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk ("Lost," "Star Trek"). The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Bad Robot Productions, Kripke Enterprises and Warner Bros. Television.

"Revolution" is the season's top-rated drama on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox and top-rated new series among those networks in adults 18-49, scoring a 4.6 rating, 12 share and 11.8 million viewers overall in "most current" averages for the season to date. "Revolution" has teamed with "The Voice" to help improve NBC's Mondays this season versus last by 24 percent in 18-49 (with a 3.6 rating vs. a 2.9).

"Chicago Fire," from Emmy Award-winning executive producer Dick Wolf and creators Derek Haas and Michael Brandt, goes inside a Windy City firehouse and the lives of those who engage in one of our nation's noblest professions.

In addition to Wolf, Haas and Brandt, executive producers also include Matt Olmstead, Joe Chappelle, Danielle Gelber and Peter Jankowski. The series is produced by Universal Television and Wolf Films.

"Chicago Fire" has topped its premiere audience of 6.6 million persons a total of eight times this season, and the only other new drama on the broadcast networks to have done it even once this season is NBC's "Hannibal." "Chicago Fire" originals have improved the time period versus year-ago results by 24 percent ("live plus same day").

"Parenthood," adapted from the 1989 feature film, examines the colorful Braverman family, and all its foibles and triumphs. The series is executive produced by Oscar winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer ("A Beautiful Mind," "Frost/Nixon"), Emmy winner Jason Katims ("Friday Night Lights") and Lawrence Trilling ("Pushing Daisies"). The series is produced by Universal Television and Imagine Entertainment.

"Parenthood" grew this season versus last by 8 percent in adults 18-49 (to a 2.8 rating from a 2.6) and also increased by 8 percent year-to-year in total viewers (7.1 million vs. 6.6 million). This season's last seven "Parenthood" telecasts beat both the ABC and CBS drama competition in the time period in 18-49.

"Grimm," inspired by the classic Grimm Brothers' fairy tales, is a Universal Television and Hazy Mills production. The series was created by Stephen Carpenter, David Greenwalt, Jim Kouf. Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner and Norberto Barba also serve as executive producers along with Greenwalt and Kouf.

"Grimm" is Friday's #1 series in adults 18-49 and is up versus one year ago by 14 percent in 18-49 rating (with a 2.4 vs. the year-ago 2.1, "most current") and is up 12 percent in total viewers (6.9 million vs. 5.2 million).

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" will enter its 15th season for NBC. The series chronicles the life and crimes of the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, an elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is a Wolf Films production in association with Universal Television. Dick Wolf is creator and executive producer. Warren Leight, Julie Martin and Peter Jankowski are also executive producers.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" originals this season have improved the time period versus year-ago results by 70 percent in adults 18-49 ("live plus same day") and are building on the time slot's lead-in by 31 percent in 18-49 and 70 percent in total viewers.

The Stupid Reason Agent Coulson is Still Alive Is...[SPOILERS]

/Film apparently got the scoop today on the real reason Clark Gregg's character, Agent Coulson, will be in the planned Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." TV series. Keep in mind this is possibly just a rumor.

As you remember, in Joss Whedon's summer block-buster The Avengers, the flimsy and really poorly written reason why the super-hero team finally decided to unite was due to Loki murdering Agent Coulson, a character which didn't have much of a back-story or emotional attachment to anyone despite the many people who were already killed by that point in the film, and evem then Nick Fury had to exaggerate his death to guilt-trip the team.

Well, with the announcement of The Big Bang Theory With Superheroes  Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series, it was revealed Gregg would return to basic cable television as none other than the deceased Phil Coulson.

"Is he going to be The Vision?! What about a clone?! Some super awesome super-hero reason to why he's back?? Is he immortal??" You might all ask, thinking of what imaginative way they could bring back a character that exists in the world of different dimensions, aliens, iron-suits, super-soldiers, flying battleships, and magic cubes?

In the pilot, it’s revealed Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the ultimate super spy, faked Agent Coulson’s death on purpose to motivate The Avengers. Some S.H.I.E.L.D. members were in on it (including, possibly, Maria Hill played by Cobie Smulders) but The Avengers were not. Their security clearance wasn’t high enough. Coulson was forced to hold his breath as part of the ruse and that’s a point of contention among his colleagues  After the fact, Fury moved him to a remote location until things died down, and then he was reinserted into duty at the time of the show.

I'll let that sink in with you for a moment. Keep in mind we wont know till the series premieres; but if that's true, I'm laughing so hard I'm crying. BRAVO JOSS.

Pulled Episode of NBC's "Hannibal" Now Available as Web Mini-Series

When you have a TV series that is based off of a series of movies involving character interaction, psychological analyzing, and heavy character interaction, the format gives you more time and space to build relationships instead of a few two-hour film., which is why many thought pulling an early episode of a drama-dependant series was a bad move.

Well now, you can see the character moments of episode 4 presented as a small web-series brought to you by show-runner Bryan Fuller and NBC.

Fuller pulled the episode- which involved Molly Shannon as an elementary school teacher who brainwashed her students into killing other children- in light of recent events around the United States. 

“We want to be respectful of the social climate we’re in right now.”

Fuller told Variety,

“I didn’t want to have anyone come to the show and have a negative experience,” Fuller told Variety. “Whenever you [write] a story and look at the sensational aspects of storytelling, you think, ‘This is interesting metaphorically, and this is interesting as social commentary.’ With this episode, it wasn’t about the graphic imagery or violence. It was the associations that came with the subject matter that I felt would inhibit the enjoyment of the overall episode. … It was my own sensitivity.”

The "mini-series", available now through Youtube, will feature a commentary by Fuller, helping the audience understand what's going on, and providing commentary.

"Hannibal" explores the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.

The show airs Thursdays at 10/9 central on NBC. 

Guillermo Del Toro Teams with HBO to Bring Manga "Monster" to Life

Deadline got the scoop earlier today that acclaimed film-maker Guillermo Del Toro (Pacific Rim, Pan's Labyrynth, Hellboy II: The Golden Army) has teamed up HBO to bring Naoki Urasawa's 18-volume manga, "Monster" to life.

Del Toro will co-write the story with Steven Thompson, best known for his work on Dr. Who andSherlock. Thompson will write the pilot, which del Toro intends to direct. 

Sounds like a good team. I love "Sherlock"; not too big on Dr. Who though. "Monster" is described by some as a very stylized world, being a fairy tale meets noir pulp, which is a perfect fit for Del Toro.

The thriller is about the worldwide search by a young doctor for the most evil sociopath that has ever lived. He is a 12-year-old boy, and the doctor’s decision to save his life has unwittingly unleashed a Pandora’s Box that leaves the doc battling to stop a plot of mass genocide. 

 Obviously no word yet on a release date or any casting info; but with such a huge network like HBO getting into the manga game, and Del Toro's anime influenced Pacific Rim hitting theaters, could we be seeing more major Hollywood interest in manga? We all know AKIRA and Neon Genesis Evangelion were kicked around for a while; but the projects were too ambitious and risky for their studios to go ahead with.

Stay posted for more info as the series develops. 

First Look at Michael Bay/Starz "Black Sails"; Pirates and Lesbians Ahoy!

The first preview for the Michael Bay (Bad Boys II, The Rock, The Island, Armageddon) produced Starz drama, "Black Sails" has found it's way online, showing us a brief glimpse of what to expect from this "Treasure Island" prequel. Hint: violence, lesbians, and pirate-ships.

The official synopsis:

“The eight-episode first season of the pirate adventure centers on the tales of Captain Flint and his men, and takes place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island. Toby Stephens (Die Another Day) stars as Flint, the most brilliant and most feared pirate captain of his day, takes on a fast-talking young addition to his crew who goes by the name John Silver.  Threatened with extinction on all sides, they fight for the survival of New Providence Island, the most notorious criminal haven of its day – a debauched paradise teeming with pirates, prostitutes, thieves and fortune seekers, a place defined by both its enlightened ideals and its stunning brutality.”

Neil Marshall, who directed the "Game of Thrones" episode 'Blackwater', which features a very well done Naval battle, is directing the pilot, set to air in 2014. The cast includes a varied mix of handsome and tan men in their 20s, and attractive women, so basically what you'd expect from something Bay has his hands on.

Also from the Starz press release:

“I’m excited to branch out into television,” says Michael Bay, the record-breaking director/producer of such big screen hits as Transformers and Bad Boys, “especially doing a long-form series for STARZ, a network known for supporting cutting edge programming.”

I love pirates, and if there's one thing I'd like to see on TV that isn't fucking zombies, it'd be either dinosaurs or pirates. Sadly, "Terra Nova" was canned, so that takes care of that. If the show goes the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End  route, which is what it sounds like with pirates trying to carve out their place in this rapidly changing world, it will make for some great action and drama.

Starz has had a pretty good run of luck with it's original programming, such as "Spartacus", "Boss", the short-lived "Camelot", and the new "DaVinci's Demons". I think this shows us Starz is a definite power with a varied and colorful roster of shows. Love him or hate him, Michael Bay knows how to draw in the crowds, and "Black Sails" looks like it'll be no exception.

A&E Will Give You More "Bates Motel"

When you have a show that gives your network it's highest ratings to date, with the series premier of the Psycho prequel nabbing over 3 million viewers, chances are you're going to want to keep it going.

Yesterday, April 8, A&E confirmed they would be renewing their stay at The Bates Motel, with pre-production on Season 2 set to begin later this year, according to their release:

“Bates Motel’ has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal audience in its first few weeks,” said DeBitetto. “With superb writing and exceptional acting, led by the critically acclaimed performances of Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, we’re incredibly excited to see where Carlton and Kerry take Norma and Norman Bates next.”

Season two of “Bates Motel” will begin pre-production later this year on ten new episodes slated to premiere in 2014.

Since it's March 18 premier, "Bates Motel" has held it's 2.5 million viewers nicely, with several "meta" experiences set up such as the iPhone app for the sketchbook in the show, and the characters' blogs, such as Norman's http://iamnormanbates.com/ and Emma's: http://www.aetv.com/bates-motel/emmas-blog/

In “Bates Motel,” following the tragic death of her husband, Norma Bates buys a motel on the outskirts of the idyllic coastal town of White Pine Bay, seeking a fresh start. As Norma and Norman get ensconced in their new home, they discover this town isn’t quite what it seems, and the locals aren’t so quick to let them in on their secrets. But the Bates’ are done being pushed around and will do whatever it takes to survive – and will do whatever it takes to protect their own secrets.

"Bates Motel" airs Mondays at 10/9 central on A&E. 

Marvel's "S.H.I.E.L.D" Retitled "Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D", Now With Synopsis

Marvel is already taking over the superhero film universe and now their foray into the television medium has a new name. Marvel's Shield is now going to be called Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and now the renamed television show to be has a synopsis. See below.

Joss Whedon shows us not all heroes are super with "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Fresh from his role in the summer’s box office smash, Marvel's The Avengers, Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) returns to the worldwide law enforcement organization S.H.I.E.L.D. He puts together a small, highly trained, team of Agents to tackle the cases that haven’t been classified yet, the new, the strange and the unknown. That team consists of straight arrow Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), an expert in combat and espionage; pilot and martial artist Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen); and brilliant if socially awkward scientists Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). They’ll be joined by civilian new recruit and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet).

Prepare for an epic adventure that showcases the hope and wonder of the human spirit. This is a world of Super Heroes, aliens and the unusual – of action, spectacle and world spanning stories. The show will speak to the human condition through the lens of our very human, non-powered S.H.I.E.L.D agents – that together we are greater than we are apart, and that we can make a difference in the world.

Executive Produced and co-written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen ("Dollhouse," "Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog"), Jeffrey Bell ("Angel," "Alias") and Jeph Loeb ("Smallville," "Lost," "Heroes") comes Marvel’s first live-action TV series, "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Hannibal" Premiers to Decent Ratings and High Praise.

Bryan Fuller has had a rough year with "Mockingbird Lane" not being picked up despite good reviews; and now he has to deal with NBC shafting "Hannibal" to it's late Thursday time-slot.

Not all seems lost, however, as "Hannibal" premiered to some surprisingly decent numbers despite it's time-disadvantage and mid-April start:

(From Variety via Nielson):

According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, the premiere of Bryan Fuller-created drama “Hannibal” averaged a 1.6 rating/4 share in adults 18-49 and 4.3 million viewers overall. While not great numbers, the premiere does score points for building on its soft lead-in courtesy of first-year comedy “Go On” (1.1/3 in 18-49, 2.4 million viewers overall), which is finishing its season with a pair of Thursday airings.    

"Hannibal", based on Robert Harris's "Red Dragon" novel, casts Hugh Dancy as Criminal Profiler Will Graham, who teams up with Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) to hunt a notorious serial-killer.

Critical response to the show has been well-received, with "Hannibal" sitting at a 68% on Metacritic, with an 8.5% Viewer score. The show also received some promotion via Twitter, with show head Bryan Fuller doing a live-tweet of the show using the hashtag #Hannibal. According to social network tracking website Topsy, "Hannibal" had almost 5,000 mentions just 30 minutes prior to the shows premier.