Shows on a Network: CBS has picked up two projects from Samuel L. Jackson’s production company. One is a comedy about the wife of a congressman who inherits her husband’s seat when he dies in the middle of his term. Sounds funny! There’s also a drama about an emergency-room doctor with unconventional methods. We’re not sure if Jackson and CBS teaming up is the official end of Jackson’s awesomeness, the official end of CBS’ wholesomeness, or simply the official end of the world. [HR]
Fox in Rehab: Fox has snatched up Sam Laybourne’s comedy Rehab, a show centering on a man who fakes a trip to rehab so he can get close to his high-school sweetheart who’s now a rock star. Laybourne, who’s currently writing and producing Couger Town, has also worked on Arrested Development. So this show could really go either way. [HR]
Dog Daze: Wilmer Valderrama is set to star in a Fox sitcom based on the life of Cesar Millan, a guy who has built an empire as the “Dog Whisperer.†Hung co-exec producer Emily Kapnek will write and produce the comedy, marking her second time working with Valderrama. Last year she wrote the pilot for The Emancipation of Ernesto, which was mercifully put down. [Variety]
Drew Scary: Mike Mitchell has signed on to direct Warner Bros.’ Monster Squad, described as pretty much the best thing ever: a “supernatural action comedy.†The script has been floating around since 2000 and has passed through the hands of several writers. Along the way, the title changed from Nightcrawlers. It centers on a nerdy father who must team up with his childhood bully to conquer his lifelong fear of monsters. If they could find a way to make this George McFly and Biff Tannen, we’d be very happy. [HR]
Rust Belt: Walter Salles and Jose Rivera, the duo behind The Motorcycle Diaries, will write and direct the film adaptation of Philipp Meyer’s novel American Rust. Universal will get the first crack at the film about two longtime friends from a desolate Pennsylvania steel town who dream of escaping to California, only to get stranded when they’re implicated in a crime. That’s what they get for not dreaming of New York. [Variety]