The actress and her author/producer husband Max Handelman have sold a single-camera comedy titled Dave’s Dead to the top rated network. The project, which hails from 20th Century Fox Television, is being billed as Shaun of the Dead meets My Name is Earl.

The couple, who have been married for nearly a decade, will serve as non-writing executive producers on the comedy, joining a growing list of high-profile actors — including Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Reynolds, Natalie Portman and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith — getting involved as producers this development season.

In this case, Eric Siegel and Eric D. Wasserman (Traffic Light, Hard Times of RJ Berger, Roommates) are on board to write and executive produce the project.

Banks, whose on-camera TV credits include 30 Rock and Scrubs, is repped by UTA.

Source

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We went straight to the big-time fancy movie star herself for the answer and here’s what she had to say: “You would think I’ll be back. I am knocked up, for sure by Jack Donaghy on the show so you’ll have to wait and see.” A vague, non-committal yes? We’ll take it!

From E! Online

Even some of Hollywood’s most in-demand actresses have to occasionally beg for work. Take Elizabeth Banks. The star of 40-year-old Virgin, W., and Zack and Miri Make a Porno tells me that her upcoming 30 Rock gig resulted from her reaching out to the Emmy-winning comedy and not the other way around. “I definitely put feelers out, like, ‘I would love to be on your show,’” she confesses. “And they did it. They made it happen! I’m a huge fan, so this is a dream come true.”

Banks, who is on board for at least four episodes (the first of which airs in February), plays a right-leaning financial guru who falls for fellow conservative Jack (Alec Baldwin) after he appears as a guest on her CNBC talk show. “She’s basically Sean Hannity in a skirt,” she explains. “What’s great about her relationship with Jack is they’re equals. She’s not some [pretty] young thing that he has a fling with. She really challenges him.”

Despite a string of sitcom appearances — her Rock role follows stints on Modern Family and Scrubs — Banks says she’s “having too much fun making movies” to commit to a TV show full-time. To wit, she just wrapped the Paul Haggis thriller The Next Three Days (she plays Russell Crowe’s incarcerated wife). “The [TV jobs] are a really fun thing to do between movie gigs,” she says. “On Monday I’m hanging out of a car [filming Three Days], and on Tuesday I’m working with two national treasures, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin — not to mention Tracy Morgan.”

From the Ausiello Files

Fresh off her memorable guest turn on ABC’s Modern Family, my former Scrubs co-star is headed to 30 Rock to play the latest notch on Jack Donaghy’s belt, sources confirm to me exclusively.

NBC declined to comment, but I’m told Banks will appear in at least four episodes.

This marks the second high-profile romance for Alec Baldwin’s corporate shill this season. This week, Julianne Moore kicks off a multi-episode arc as Jack’s high school crush.

But back to Banks, would someone please explain to me why she doesn’t have her own show yet? It’s only a matter of time, right?

From the Ausiello Files

“MODERN FAMILY” — “Great Expectations” – With a history of giving bad gifts, Claire is determined to surprise Phil with an amazing anniversary present – a private performance by one of their favorite musicians, Izzy LaFontaine (Oscar-nominated Edward Norton)! However, it turns out to be unexpected in more ways than one. Meanwhile, Mitchell and Cameron call up their party-girl bestie, Sal (Elizabeth Banks), for a long overdue night out on the town, on “Modern Family,” WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Elizabeth, who previously had a recurring role on Scrubs, will be playing Sal, a character described by executive producer Christopher Lloyd as “the fag hag” friend of gay couple Mitchell and Cameron. In real life, Elizabeth is a close friend of actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitchell), and expressed interest in a role after falling in love with the pilot.

“Sal is their old running buddy,” says executive producer Steven Levitan. “Mitchell and Cameron decide they need a night out on the town, so they call her up.” Lloyd adds, “She’s thrilled to be back with her old friends until they start talking about their new (adopted) baby and she doesn’t want to hear about the baby, so she starts saying things like, ‘I wouldn’t mind killing the baby.’” The episode will likely air in October.

From TV Guide