Only two development announcements this week that I have seen so far, but there was also some notable casting news on shows already moving forward.
CBS Has given a pilot commitment to Secret Six based on the DC Comic
Network: CBS
Credits: Rick Muirragui (Executive Producer), Bill Lawrence’s Doozer Productions (Production Company), Warner Bros TV (Studio)
Starring: TBA
Description: “Secret Six centers on six morally ambiguous strangers, each with their own unique specialties and secret pasts, who are brought together by an enigmatic figure who blackmails them into working as a team to expose the corruption of the corporate and political elite.” Deadline Hollywood
Comments: In the comics, the team is comprised of DC superheroes and antiheroes, but it is unclear at this point if CBS (known for aversion to sci fi shows) will draw from the source material or try to turn this into a more straight forward procedural / drama series. The network will be considering this one for its Fall 2019 schedule.
NBC has given a script commitment to The Last American Vampire
Network: NBA
Credits: Seth Grahame-Smith (Creator / Executive Producer), David Katzenberg (Executive Producer), Terry Matalas (Writer / Executive Producer), 20th Century Fox TV (Studio)
Starring: TBA
Description: “The Last American Vampire is supernatural thriller that follows a 500-year-old bloodsucker and bon vivant named Henry Sturges, who’s been held under lock and key for the last forty years, and who’s believed to be the last of his kind. When a series of grizzly murders reveal a resurgence of vampires in the U.S., the FBI teams this affable monster up with Abby, a young FBI analyst, to solve a conspiracy centuries in the making.” Deadline Hollywood
Comments: This series is based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel of the same name. The character of Henry Sturges also appeared in Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. NBC will be considering this one for its Spring 2019 Pilot Season.
UPDATE: Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra Cast as female leads in Netflix’s upcoming series The Witcher
Network: Netflix
Credits: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich (Writer / Showrunner / Executive Producer)
Starring: Henry Cavill, Jodhi May, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra
Description: “The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia (Cavill), a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.” Deadline Hollywood
Comments: Freya Allan has been cast as Ciri and Anya Chalotra has been cast as Yennefer. The series is based on the fantasy saga from Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski and will likely debut on the streaming service in mid-to-late 2019.
UPDATE: Michael Kenneth Williams has been cast in a lead role in HBO’s Lovecraft Country
Network: HBO
Credits: Jordan Peele (Executive Producer), Misha Green (Writer / Executive Producer), Bad Robot (Production Company), Warner Bros Television (Studio)
Starring: Jonathan Majors, Michael Kenneth Williams, Courtney B. Vance, Wunmi Mosaku
Description: “Lovecraft Country follows Atticus Freeman (Majors) as he joins up with his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. Thus begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback.” Deadline Hollywood
Comments: This series is based on the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff and will likely debut on HBO mid-to-late 2019.
The Fall season is upon us and will be bringing over forty new and returning sci fi and fantasy television shows. You can see our full preview of the coming season at this link. And be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site throughout the season for the latest ratings results and status updates for your favorite shows.
