TV SALES
ABC has bought a sci-fi drama from Dave DiGilio. The project, MILA 2.0 (adapted from the book by Debra Driza), follows a young woman who discovers that she is a Mobile Intel Life-like Android, Mila, an experiment in artificial intelligence created by the U.S. government and her scientist mother, who kidnapped her when she was found to have human emotions. DiGilio will write the pilot and executive produce with Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers. He is repped by UTA.
Dan Harmon officially returns to TV, this time through the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, with a series order. The half-hour animated comedy project, RICK & MORTY, follows a genius inventor grandfather and his less-than-genius grandson, and the journeys in life they share. Harmon will write with Justin Roiland. Harmon and Roiland are repped by UTA.
Rebecca Sinclair has set up two new projects at CW and CBS. The untitled drama project at CW, follows a self-obsessed young pop star — the black sheep of her religious family — who isn’t interested in saving anything but her own career, until a fan claims to have been miraculously healed by her touch and word spreads that she has divine powers. The second project, THE LOST GIRLS, focuses on four very different 20-something American women, each at a point of crisis, who decide to escape their lives and their country, and go abroad. While in Cambodia, the wanderers bond, happy to find friends who are equally lost. It’s based on the travel memoir by Jennifer Baggett, Holly Corbett and Amanda Pressner. Sinclair will write and executive produce both projects. She is repped by UTA.
Lew Morton has sold an animated comedy to Fox. The project, WENTWORTH HALL, follows a group of misfit college students making plenty of bad decisions while attending a once-prestigious university. Morton will write and executive produce with Jake Kasdan. Morton is repped by CAA.
ABC has bought a single camera comedy based on the Israeli series “Your Family Or Mine?”, with a script commitment plus penalty. The project, TRIBES, will be written by Greg Malins and will focus on an entire family, which each episode focusing on a specific part of the family. Malins will also executive produce with Jamie Tarses. He is repped by WME.
Romance-drama writer Nicholas Sparks has put three shows in motion with three different networks. He and Theresa Park will serve as executive producers on all projects. His novel A BEND IN THE ROAD will become a show at TNT with Brandon Camp also developing. The project centers on a recently widowed sheriff in a seaside Georgia town who falls in love with his son’s second-grade teacher. At ABC Family he and John Norris are teaming up for a modern re-imagining of “Romeo and Juliet”. At Lifetime he has set up DELIVERANCE CREEK. The drama is set after the Civil War and follows a woman trying to sustain her family while balancing between doing what’s good and what’s necessary. Melissa Carter will write and executive produce that project. Sparks is repped by UTA and Park Literary Group.
ABC has put the drama-thriller COUP into production. Written by Chris Black and directed and exec produced by Martin Campbell, the project follows an American man whose wife is taken hostage overseas by a coup and must team with a mercenary to get her back. Black is repped by WME and Campbell by CAA.
Fox has purchased OLYMPUS from Peter Berg and Taylor Sheridan. The action project centers on a decorated former soldier and current spy who finds out he is a descendent of Greek Gods and is humanity’s savior. Sheridan will be writing the script. He is repped by Gersh and Berg is repped by WME.
Michael Tolkin will write and executive produce HOLLYWOOD & VINES for ABC. The project follows three actresses whose lives are turned upside down when another actress is found dead in her pool. Tolkin is repped by WME.
Alex Proyas and Jaime Paglia will be executive producing EVOLVE for ABC with Proyas directing and Palia writing. Based on the “Toxic City” book trilogy written by Tim Lebbon, the series is set two years after Los Angeles was quarantined due to a biochemical agent and a group of curious citizens sneak into only to find that the residents have gained superhuman powers. Jeremy Bell will executive produce. Proyas is repped by CAA and Paglia by Paradigm.
ABC is developing an untitled comedy based on the book “Keep Swinging” written by Rick Marin, who will write the script with Lew Schneider. The project centers on an artsy dad with no interest in sports whose son becomes a star athlete. The writing duo will exec produce with Conan O’Brien, David Kissinger and Jeff Ross. Marin is repped by Gersh and Schneider by UTA.
TV RENEWALS
AMC has renewed HELL ON WHEELS for a third season. The civil-war era project has suffered with the numbers in the past, but has picked up recently thanks to lead in “The Walking Dead”. The show was created by Joe Gayton and Tony Gayton who are repped by UTA.
The FX comedy show WILFRED has been renewed for a third season and will feature new showrunners. The new season will be thirteen episodes long and Reed Agnew and Eli Jorné will serve as the new showrunners.
ABC has given full season orders to THE NEIGHBORS and SCANDAL. The Neighbors, created by Dan Fogelman, received a back-nine episode order which brings it up to a 22 episode season. He is repped by WME. Scandal, created by Shonda Rhimes will have a full 21 episode season. She is repped by ICM.
Single-cam comedy THE GOODWIN GAMES has had its episode renewal decreased from 13 to 7. The series follows three siblings who reconnect after their father’s death after he leaves them his inheritance in his will.
TV ATTACHMENTS
David Richardson and Ian Gurvitz have been tapped to write the script for THE GUYS, a project which centers on three longtime male friends who are over the hump in their lives. Vince Vaughn is serving as an executive producer on the show. Richardson is repped by UTA and Gurvitz by APA.
