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All Movie Replicas > Collector's News > TV Guide > Melrose Place

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Melrose Place

Get indepth information about the updated version of Melrose Place for the CW Television Network.

Melrose Place is a forthcoming American television series for The CW Television Network, scheduled to premiere on September 8, 2009.[2] The fifth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise, it is an updated version of the 1990s FOX prime time drama Melrose Place, featuring a group of young adults living in a West Hollywood, California apartment complex. Smallville producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer are show runners of the series. According to Entertainment Weekly, the first season will feature a murder mystery involving characters Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton) and Dr. Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro) from the original series, as well as a crop of new residents.

Development

On September 23, 2008, Marc Malkin of E! Online reported on the possibility of a new Melrose Place spin-off in the vein of the 2008 Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off series 90210, quoting original series star Lisa Rinna saying, "I've heard a rumor of them bringing back the show like they did 90210... I heard that it's somewhere at The CW." However, Malkin also reported that "a rep for the CW insists there are no plans to bring back Melrose Place." On October 11, 2008, TV Guide quoted original Melrose Place creator Darren Star, who said that the spin-off was a possibility he would be interested in pursuing, acknowledged that it had been talked about, but also noted that no "official" discussions about the spin-off had taken place. Later that month, The CW and CBS Paramount Network Television said they were "exploring" the possibility of creating a new version of the series, to potentially debut in the 2009-2010 TV season and targeting their "prized demographic: young women." On October 31, 2008, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello reported that One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn had been approached about running what was being called "Melrose 2.0." The Hollywood Reporter confirmed on December 14, 2008 that Schwahn was in negotiations to write the initial script for the potential series.

In January 2009, The CW's entertainment president Dawn Ostroff discussed the network's plans to develop a Melrose Place update, stating that she had yet to identify a writer, and that the proposed project would include both returning and new characters. She noted that the 1992 Melrose Place television pilot had taken place "at a time not unlike what we're going through now ... they talked about the building being foreclosed on, people not having jobs. It took place in a very similar time, a time when the economy was in a downturn." Ostroff also told reporters that unlike the original series, the new version would try to capture life in the Los Angeles Melrose neighborhood. When asked whether the new series would be the "earnest Melrose of season one or the nutty Kimberly-blowing-up-the-apartment-complex of later years," Ostroff explained, "In the beginning you've got to get invested in the characters, but I also think it can't be so dramatic and sleepy that not enough is going on. Our fans really love that heightened drama as you can see when you watch One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl. So the job is to get them emotionally invested in the people and then do storytelling and have twists and turns and surprises you wouldn't have expected." With Schwahn officially off the project, on January 19, 2009 Ausiello reported that The CW were talking with Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin of Smallville about helming the new Melrose Place. On Feb 6, 2009 Ausiello confirmed that Swimmer and Slavkin were officially hired as the show runners of the spin-off, and previewed some of the show's characters, yet to be cast.

The Hollywood Reporter reported on February 23, 2009 that The CW had greenlit a pilot episode for the new Melrose Place written by Swimmer and Slavkin, which would "follow the original formula and chronicle a new group of twentysomethings dwelling in Los Angeles' perpetually trendy Melrose neighborhood." Academy Award-winner Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) was announced as the director for the pilot.

Casting

Ausiello's February 6, 2009 character preview introduced the series' seven new characters: David Patterson, son of the previous version's Jake Hanson "with the taut abs and thick black book to prove it;" his "omnisexual sometime lover" Ella Flynn, "a PR whiz whose tongue is as sharp as her stilettos;" Jonah Miller, an aspiring filmmaker; Riley Richmond, his "sickly-sweet schoolteacher fiancee;" Auggie Kirkpatrick, a "hunky hippie" and recovering alcoholic; "straight-arrow" med student Lauren Bishop, forced by hard times to "trade sexual favors for financial ones;" and Violet Foster, a small-town teen who is "fresh off the turnip truck" but knows how to "play the sex kitten" when necessary.

On February 25, 2009, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the first actor cast in the new series was Michael Rady, whose character Jonah was compared to Andrew Shue's Billy Campbell from the original Melrose Place. Variety announced on February 27, 2009 that Katie Cassidy had landed the role of Ella, whom Ausiello had previously compared to Heather Locklear's Amanda Woodward. On March 9, 2009 Ausiello reported that singer/actress Ashlee Simpson-Wentz had been cast as Violet, and quoted an unnamed inside source saying that talks with Locklear to reprise her role were "looking good." The Hollywood Reporter announced on March 17, 2009 that Jessica Lucas had won the role of Riley. The next day Entertainment Weekly broke the story that despite The CW "aggressively pursuing" her, Locklear had passed on the Melrose Place update, purportedly because "There wasn't a way to bring her back that made sense." On March 24, 2009, Colin Egglesfield was cast as Auggie, and Stephanie Jacobsen as Lauren. Actor Ryan Eggold subsequently told TV Guide that he would appear on the Melrose Place update as his 90210 character Ryan Matthews. The Hollywood Reporter reported on April 3, 2009 that Shaun Sipos had landed the final regular role in the series – Jake's son David – now described as a rich kid whose "bad-boy behavior has cut him off from the family's money."

On April 5, 2009 The Hollywood Reporter broke the story that Laura Leighton would be joining the series as her original Melrose Place character Sydney Andrews. Though Sydney had seemingly been killed off in 1997 at the end of the original show's fifth season, the new pilot finds her alive and now the landlord of the titular apartment complex. TV Guide noted that Leighton would also continue in a recurring capacity should the updated Melrose Place be picked up. People reported on April 6, 2009 that Melrose Place original cast member Thomas Calabro would also reprise his series-long role as the duplicitous Dr. Michael Mancini, now established as the father of new character David (Sipos).

Production

On April 14, 2009, Simpson-Wentz announced via Twitter that filming on the pilot would commence that week. Ausiello reported on May 19, 2009 that the series had been picked up by The CW. Presenting its 2009-2010 season schedule on May 21, 2009, The CW announced its intention to air Melrose Place after 90210 on Tuesday nights, in the same way their parent shows had been paired when the original Melrose Place debuted on FOX in July 1992. Ostroff added that there would likely be some character crossover between the two shows. Sipos's, Cassidy's, and Jacobsen's characters had also been renamed "David Breck," "Ella Simms," and "Lauren Yung" in the press release. The same day, Ausiello reported that Leighton's character Sydney dies in the pilot, setting off a season-long murder mystery, but that the actress would continue to appear in multiple episodes of the season through flashbacks.

People later reported on June 18, 2009 that Josie Bissett, who had portrayed Michael's ex-wife and Sydney's older sister Jane Mancini in the original series, would guest star in at least one episode. Taylor Cole was next booked to guest star as David's ex-girlfriend, followed by Taryn Manning as a singer whose music video is directed by Jonah. The next day, Entertainment Weekly reported that original series star Daphne Zuniga would be returning as photographer Jo Reynolds for at least two episodes. On July 17, 2009, E! Online announced that actress Brooke Burns had been cast as Vanessa, wife of Dr. Michael Mancini and mother of his younger son Noah. That same day, TV Guide reported that actor Victor Webster had also been cast as Caleb, Ella's gay publicist boss. On July 20, 2009, E! Online reported that actress Kelly Carlson had been cast as a madam who convinces Lauren to work for her as part of her prostitution ring.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Melrose Place" and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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