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Channel Surfing: Jack Bauer Heads to the Cinema, Christopher Lloyd Finds "Chuck," Nestor Carbonell Talks "Lost," "True Blood," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Variety's Michael Schneider is reporting that 20th Century Fox Television and the studio's feature film division are working on adapting FOX's long-running drama series 24 for the big screen. The studio has hired Billy Ray (State of Play) to write a screenplay for the feature version of 24, which would see Jack Bauer jump across the pond to thwart a plot in Europe. Film would be executive produced by Kiefer Sutherland, Howard Gordon, Brian Grazer, Robert Cochran, and Joel Surnow. "Insiders cautioned that a 24 feature is still very much in the preliminary stages," writes Schneider. "There are a number of factors influencing how quickly it moves ahead, including the fate of the TV show." That fate is still to be determined, though it's thought very likely that Day Eight will be the final season of 24. (Variety, Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) will guest star on NBC's Chuck later this season. Lloyd will play "a therapist who Chuck turns to when the pressures of the spy biz become too much for him to bear," writes Ausiello. Look for Lloyd to turn up in this season's sixteenth episode, slated to air in April or May. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams talks to Lost series regular Nestor Carbonell about Season Six's power struggle on the island. And, yes, we will learn about why Richard Alpert doesn't age and just who this mysterious counsel to the Others really is. "I knew at some point that they were going to answer some of the bigger questions, I just didn't know when," Carbonell told Abrams. "We have gotten to that point where there is an episode that deals with the origins of Richard Alpert and the bigger questions about his character, as well as bigger questions about the island and the mythology of it. It's an episode that reveals a lot. After three years playing this character, I was floored when I got the script and I was so excited to actually get to do the episode. They wrote a really tremendous script." (TVGuide.com)

SPOILER! TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that True Blood's Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) will have a new roommate next season: Hoyt Fortenberry (Jim Parrack). "Rooming with Jason will lead to some pretty adventurous times," Kwanten told Keck. "He’ll encourage Hoyt to sow his oats. In the first episode, my character wakes up with two women." (TV Guide Magazine)

Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) has landed the lead role in CBS comedy plot True Love, from writer/executive producer Matt Tarses. Kelly will play Kate, described as a "pretty, clean-scrubbed Midwestern who is a sweet but strong-willed romantic." Pilot revolves around four friends in Manhattan who are looking for love. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Keri Russell has received several pilot offers in the last few weeks. "She’s focusing on her film career right now," an unnamed source close to Russell told Ausiello. "But if the right project came along she would consider it. It all comes down to the material." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot casting news: Jennifer Finnigan (Inside the Box) will star opposite Joanna Garcia in ABC's untitled Shana Goldberg-Meehan comedy; Patrick Flueger (The 4400) has joined the cast of ABC's eight-episode drama series Scoundrels (based on Kiwi series Outrageous Fortune); and Rose Rollins (The L Word) has been added to the cast of NBC drama pilot Chase, from executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Laura Benanti (Eli Stone) has landed the lead role in CBS comedy pilot Open Books, about a book editor and her friends. Project hails from writer/executive producer Gail Lerner. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot news: Bones creator Hart Hanson has come aboard FOX drama pilot Pleading Guilty as an executive producer and will supervise; should the project go to series, he'll oversee both Bones and Pleading Guilty. Mick Jackson (Temple Grandin) will direct NBC's US remake of British crime drama Prime Suspect. Brett Ratner will direct CBS drama pilot Chaos. Joe and Anthony Russo (Community) will direct ABC comedy plot Happy Endings. Charles McDougall (The Good Wife) will direct FOX drama pilot Ridealong. (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! Wedding bells will ring out for someone on Bones this season, according to series creator Hart Hanson. "One of the four women in our cast will be getting married," Hanson told TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck. Four possibilities: Booth and Brennan, Angela and Hodgins, Daisy and Sweets, or Camille and a new mystery man. (TV Guide Magazine)

Jeff Probst has renewed his hosting deal for CBS' Survivor: "Survivor fans: I'm jazzed and wanted to share with you guys first," wrote Probst via Twitter. "I'll be back snuffing torches for two more seasons (21&22) of Survivor." (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

20th Century Fox Television has signed a new overall deal with The Cleveland Show co-creator Rich Appel, which will keep him aboard the animated comedy for the foreseeable future while he also develops new series projects for the studio. (Variety)

The CW will launch new reality series High Society and Fly Girls respectively on March 10th and March 24th. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

E1 Entertainment is developing a reality series following R&B star Faith Evans as she looks to jumpstart her career after leaving the business behind five years ago. Project, which would also see Evans juggle her career with raising four kids with her husband, is currently being pitched to networks. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Comments

Cordelia said…
Christopher Lloyd on Chuck? That's awesome! They have the best guest stars!
Anonymous said…
Too bad this season hasn't been nearly as cool as that photo of Jack in the subway. Where's that episode? The writers need to watch Die Hard with a vengance for how to do a story in NYC.

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