the industry

Ray Romano and Scott Bakula to Bro Out

Old Dudes: TNT has given the green light to Ray Romano’s hour-long dramedy, Men of a Certain Age. Romano will produce and star alongside Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula. Based on the actors’ own lives, the show will focus on three fortysomething buddies coming to terms with their disappointing lives. Because nothing is as disappointing as a swimming pool full of ten-dollar bills. It should’ve been twenties. [Variety]

10-4: Southern gentleman Craig Brewer has signed a deal with New Regency to write and direct Mother Trucker, an adaptation of a Maxim article written by Steven Russell. Pegged as an updated Smokey and the Bandit, Trucker will be an action comedy about a man who escapes jail, steals an 18-wheeler, and speeds across the South to find his dying mother, all while the police hunt him down. Sounds like the perfect role for Judah Friedlander’s star turn. It would save wardrobe tons of money in these trying times! [HR]

Wendy Goes Mass: You know that Wendy Williams talk show you’ve been enjoying during your unemployment? Well, now your mom in the Midwest can enjoy it, too! Distributor Debmar-Mercury is rolling the show out in the top twenty markets this July, putting Wendy in 70 percent of American households. The show will reportedly revolve around lifestyle, entertainment, celebrity gossip, and self-help advice — all topics that interest your mom. [Variety]

Schoolyard Incident: Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini, and Marcia Gay Harden are set to star in the Broadway production of successful London play God of Carnage. Written by Yasmina Reza, the play is directed by Matthew Warchus. The story focuses on two sets of parents who meet to discuss a schoolyard fight between their children. Apparently someone insulted the Jonas Brothers. It’s cool. It’s resolved now. [Variety]

Faye’s Anatomy: Absent from the small screen since a 2006 episode of CSI, Faye Dunaway is planning a visit to Seattle Grace. The Oscar winner will play a world-renowned doctor at the hospital who “crosses paths with the Chief, Cristina, and Owen.” Crossing paths sounds like a bad thing. Someone make sure there are no clothes hangers in sight. [EW]

Couples Switch Bodies, Reaffirm Love: Broken Lizard’s Jay Chandrasekhar has signed on to direct Opposites Attract, a Dan Ewen–written comedy from Bold Films. The film centers on a young couple who switch bodies in order to make their relationship work. The studio is aiming for an R-rated take on the body-switching genre. Look forward to lots of menstruation jokes. [HR]

Ray Romano and Scott Bakula to Bro Out