Nick greenlights 14 shows, TV movies, pilots

MUMBAI: US kids broadcaster Nickelodeon has greenlit over a dozen new live-action, animation and TV movie projects ? featuring top creative talent in front of and behind the camera, iconic characters from its most popular series and an animated talking snake ? that will begin rolling out this fall and into 2013.

The slate includes a new Nick at Nite series Wendell and Vinnie and two Nick spin-off comedy pilots, ?Sam And Cat? and ?Gibby?, featuring beloved characters from hit series iCarly and Victorious.

The network has also greenlit the pilot Instant Mom for Nick at Nite, while Nick TV movies Swindle and Nicky Deuce will be commencing production later this year. The CG-animated series Monsters vs. Aliens and 2D-series Sanjay & Craig have also been greenlit with both productions based at Nickelodeon?s Animation Studio in Burbank, Calif.

In addition, Nick preschool has added a new animated series, Monty and Norville, and a pilot, Blaze and the Monster Machines.

In ?Wendell and Vinnie?, Jerry Trainor stars as Vinnie, a lovable, goofball uncle who becomes the guardian to his buttoned-up 12-year-old nephew Wendell. Nicole Sullivan also stars as Vinnie?s high-strung older sister Wilma.

?You Gotta See This? combines web, behind-the-scenes footage, celebrity interviews, pranks and bloopers, The half-hour series rolls clips of the week into one package. Nickelodeon is currently in production on this 20-episode series in Los Angeles.

?Swindle?, meanwhile, is an original TV movie featuring an impressive ensemble cast of Nickelodeon stars. When an evil collector cons Griffin out of a million dollar baseball card that could have saved his best friend?s home, he unites a ragtag group of his classmates who need to work as a team to take down the swindler. Swindle is based on a popular children?s book by Gordon Korman. Production will commence later this year in Vancouver, Canada.

?Nicky Deuce? is based on a children?s book by Steve Schirripa and Charles Fleming, Nicky Deuce stars iCarly?s Noah Munck as Nicholas Borelli II, a nerdy, over-protected teen who transforms into the title character. Nicholas gets caught in the adventure of a lifetime when he spends the summer with an uncle he never knew he had. Production on this original TV movie will commence this summer in Montreal, Canada.

In ?The Haunted Hathaways? life in The Big Easy gets a little more complicated and way more spirited when the Hathaway siblings move into a house occupied by a family of ghosts. The pilot is written by Robert Peacock, who served as writer/producer on several series over the last decade including Reba, The Jeff Foxworthy Show and Coupling.

?The Thundermans? follows 13-year-old Phoebe Thunderman, who just wants to be normal, but that?s impossible when she comes from a family of superheroes. While most superheroes are lucky to have one power, Phoebe happens to have 12.

?Sanjay And Craig? is a tale of boy meets snake. This 20-episode, 2D-animated series follows two best buds who dedicate their lives to becoming the coolest, most rebellious dudes in the neighborhood.

?Monsters vs. Aliens? is an extension of the animated movie. The CG-animated television series features the lovable monsters and a whole new group of nefarious aliens living and working together at Area 50-something. It has been greenlit for 26 episodes, the company said.