Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items, few though they may be, for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Courtney B. Vance (FlashForward and Law & Order: Criminal Intent) will be joining the ABC series Revenge, appearing as Victoria’s new high-powered divorce attorney Ben Barnett. This recurring role will start in March. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Actors/Actresses Andrea Parker (The Pretender and Desperate Housewives), Jud Tylor (That 70’s Show and Edgemont), Megalyn Echikunwoke (The 4400), Madisen Beatey (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Cody Christian (Pretty Little Liars) has joined the cast of the NBC drama pilot Beautiful People, which is set in the near future in a society where humans co-exist with mechanical androids that look like people but are treated like second-class citizens. It centers on the very wealthy Lydia (Frances Conroy) whose late husband founded the firm that makes Mechanicals. Parker will play the wealthy Roberta whose life is turned upside down when her rebellious teen daughter (Beatey) starts a romance with a Mechanical boy (Christian) who is the son of Lydia’s Mechanical servant David (Patrick Heusinger) and his wife Susan (Jud Tylor), also a Mechanical. Echikunwoke will play the boss of Lydia’s other son, attorney Gregory (James Murray). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

The CW has greenlit three dramas: Arrow, The Carrie Diaries and a procedural take on Beauty and the Beast. Arrow is to be a contemporary retelling of the Green Arrow character. The Carrie Diaries is based on the Candace Bushnell book about Carrie Bradshaw’s high school years in the 1980s. And, Beauty and the Beast is to be loosely based on the CBS drama from the late 1980s that is to be a modern-day romancer with a procedural twist. (Variety)

Syfy has given the green light to Rewind, an action thriller which has received an order for a two-hour pilot. The story revolves around a team of military field operatives and civilian scientists who must use untested technology to travel back in time to alter past events in order to change the future and avoid a devastating terrorist attack. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

CBS has ordered to pilot a female-led law enforcement drama that will revolve around a common-sense mother-turned-New York state trooper. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)

That’s it. Enjoy!