Fox Orders Zooey Deschanel Pilot THE NEW GIRL – Update: J.J. Abrams Drama ALCATRAZ Likely Next
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: May 10th, 2011
Upfronts are next week, which means every broadcast network has a day set aside to announce new series and renewal decisions. Fox is getting an early start with a series order for the comedy pilot The New Girl (formerly titled Chicks and Dicks). Zooey Deschanel stars as “a quirky teacher who moves in with three guys — the cynic, the player and the man-child — after being dumped.” Jake M. Johnson, Max Greenfield, and Damon Wayans Jr. play the three guys; Hannah Simone also stars. Wayans Jr. currently stars in the ABC sitcom Happy Endings, which is on the bubble. If ABC renews the series, Fox will have to recast Wayans’ role. No Strings Attached writer Liz Meriwether created the series. Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard) directed the single-camera pilot.
[Update: A new report suggests Fox is near a deal to pick up the J.J. Abrams-produced drama Alcatraz. Details after the break.]
[Update 2: Click here for more Fox scheduling news, including the cancellation of Breaking In, Traffic Light, The Chicago Code, and Human Target]
Hit the jump for more on the shape of Fox in the coming television year.
James Franco Names Val Lauren the Lead in His Sal Mineo Biopic SAL
by Bill Graham Posted: May 10th, 2011
James Franco doesn’t have a lot of down time lately. As a director, Franco has landed the lead for his next project, the Sal Mineo biopic tentatively titled Sal. Val Lauren will play Mineo, who is most famous for his Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination opposite James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause. The young actor’s life prematurely ended at the age of 37 when he was stabbed to death in a botched robbery. Those familiar with Franco’s work will likely realize that he won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Dean in a 2001 TV movie. Franco optioned the film rights to Michael Gregg Michaud’s Sal Mineo: A Biography late last year. Hit the jump for more about Lauren, what he had to say about Mineo, and the story being told.
Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, and Christina Hendricks Join the Boxing Biopic THE BLEEDER
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: May 10th, 2011
Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber and Christina Hendricks are set to star in the boxing drama The Bleeder. Per Variety, the film is based on the story of Chuck Wepner, the New Jersey heavyweight boxer who fought 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali and inspired to Sylvester Stallone to write Rocky. The biopic is the natural transition for documentary filmmaker Jeff Feuerzeig (The Devil and Daniel Johnston) to directing narrative features. Feuerzeig co-wrote the script with Jerry Stahl (Bad Boys II).
Studio home Hyde Park International is shopping The Bleeder at the Cannes Film Festival this week along with Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vegneance, The Double, Echelon, and Our Idiot Brother. If I were a billionaire cinephile hanging out in the French Riviera right now, I’d have a hard time passing up the Watts/Schreiber/Hendricks package. Hit the jump for more on Wepner.
