Raimi on board for Rake remake

Hollywood heavyweight director Sam Raimi will direct the pilot for the American remake of the ABC legal drama Rake. Raimi's credits include Oz the Great and Powerful and Spider-Man. It is the first TV pilot Raimi has directed and securing his talents is something of a coup for TV studio Sony Pictures, which is remaking Rake for the Fox network. Raimi joins a creative team that includes the show's creator-producer Peter Duncan, actor Richard Roxburgh and producer Ian Collie. The pilot will star Greg Kinnear, Bojana Novakovic and Miranda Otto.

Testing the water

In a good omen for Channel Seven's celebrity diving show Celebrity Splash, the American version has made a strong debut at home, drawing an audience of 8.8 million viewers and landing in second place in its timeslot. It was beaten by the ratings titan NCIS. Seven unveiled the local cast last week, including socialite Brynne Edelsten, surfer Koby Abberton, Gold Logie winner Denise Drysdale and television presenter Laura Csortan. The format was launched last year at the MIPCOM television market in Cannes, France, and generated enormous buzz. Seven will launch its version later this year.