Amanda Bynes Gets Canned

What a girl wants is a new TV series while an elfin princess and an angel have guys on their mind on today's Casting Couch

By Josh Grossberg Mar 24, 2009 7:45 PMTags
Amanda BynesKristian Dowling/Getty Images for IMG

What a Girl Wants is another TV show.

With pilot season in gear, Amanda Bynes is taking a time-out from clubbing to return to the small screen to star in Canned, a new ABC comedy about a group of friends who get fired on the same day.

According to Variety, the former tween queen will play Sarabeth, a wet behind the ears Midwesterner who gets taken advantage of by her boss without realizing it.

Among the other stars taking spins on today's Casting Couch: Liv Tyler, Cameron Diaz, Anthony Hopkins and Tom Selleck...

Tyler will top line The Romantics, a romantic comedy Galt Niederhoffer is adapting and directing from her own novel about seven pals who wreak havoc when they come together for their friend's seaside wedding. The Lord of the Rings beauty will play the maid of honor who was once involved with the groom. Shooting kicks off this summer.

Diaz is in final talks to star in Swingles, a romantic comedy about a wingman who, after his bachelor buddy decides to get married, reluctantly join forces with a smart-mouthed woman he can't stand in order to meet new people.

Per the Hollywood Reporter, Hopkins is looking to channel Papa in Hemingway & Fuentes, an indie biopic helmed and cowritten by Andy Garcia. The film will focus on the acclaimed novelist's friendship with a fishing boat captain. Annette Bening may costar as the writer's wife.

Selleck is teaming up with Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Catherine O'Hara and Martin Mull in Five Killers, an action comedy about an assassin (Kutcher) who falls for a computer geek (Heigl) and retires, only to be pulled back into the profession years later when someone takes a hit out on him. The erstwhile Magnum P.I. will play Heigl's domineering dad, O'Hara will play the mom and Mull is Kutcher's handler. Cameras roll this month.

George Lopez is getting his own late-night chatfest, courtesy of TBS, starting at 11 p.m. weeknights in November.

Scrubs' soon-to-be former Dr. Cox, John C. McGinley, gets serious in the CBS drama pilot Back, about a firefighter (Skeet Ulrich) who returns home to learn he was reported missing following the 9/11 attacks. Sherry Stringfield also stars.

Peter Krause and Maura Tierney are leading the ensemble of NBC's small-screen version of Ron Howard's hit 1989 comedy Parenthood, playing the brother and sister characters originated by  Steve Martin and Dianne Wiest. Craig T. Nelson (Coach) and Dax Shepard are in negotiations to take roles as well. Howard is exec producing.

Robert "Arli$$" Wuhl is returning to HBO to develop and star in a new, untitled family comedy focusing on a father and son who run a Madison Square Garden-style arena that hosts sports and other major events in New York.