TV SALES
NBC has picked up THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA, written by Jeff Rake. The project is based on the Spanish series “Los Misterios De Laura” and centers on a female detective who excels at her job, but has trouble dealing with her twin children. Rake, who is repped by WME, will exec produce with Aaron Kaplan and Greg Berlanti.
Paul Lovett and David Elliot have sold their crime drama script DOMAIN to Fox. The project centers on a genius “hactivist” who is brought in to work for the government following his arrest. The duo will exec produce with Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements. Lovett and Elliot are both repped by Verve.
ABC is developing HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, written by Peter Nowalk. The thriller centers on a group of law students and their criminal defense professor who get caught up in a murder case that rocks the university. Nowalk will executive produce with Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers. Nowalk is repped by UTA.
Jenny Bicks has sold an untitled comedy to NBC. The project centers on a beached mermaid who ends up working at a Miami bar. Bicks wrote the script and will executive produce. She is repped by UTA.
History Channel’s next miniseries venture will be HOUDINI, based on the life of the famed magician, Harry Houdini. Nicholas Meyer wrote the script, which Uli Edel (Gersh) will direct. Gerald W. Abrams and Andras Hamori will executive produce. Adrien Brody and Kristen Connolly are already attached to star as Houdini and his wife Bess.
Rob Lieber has sold THE GREAT ZUCCHINI to FX. The project centers on a popular yet self-destructive children’s performer who tries to take his life in a more serious direction. Ryan Reynolds, Allen Loeb, Steven Pearl, Jonathon Komack-Martin and Alex Goldstone will exec produce. Lieber is repped by UTA.
Comedian-actor-political commentator DL Hughley has sold an untitled comedy based on his life to FX. He is co-writing the script with Sivert Glarum and Michael Jamin and the trio will exec produce with Michael Rotenberg and Dave Becky. Hughley is repped by ICM while Glarum and Jamin are with UTA.
Author and executive producer Gigi Levangie has been tasked with adapting her upcoming novel “Seven Deadlies: A Cautionary Tale” into a drama series for MTV. Entitled SEVEN DEADLIES, the show will follow a student studying at a private school under a Latina scholarship who discovers a few of her classmates carry the genes of the seven deadly sins. Levangie will be co-writing with Stacey Title and Jonathan Penner. Levangie is repped by WME.
Sony Pictures Television has announced that they will be creating a series based on Robert Rodriguez’s 1992 romantic action film “El Mariachi.” The show, entitled EL MARIACHI, will stay true to the film and follow the adventures of traveling musician Martin Aguirre as he wages war with Mexico’s various drug cartels over love and honor. Sony has announced that it will produce 70 episodes to begin with. Iván Arana, Marta Higareda and Julio Bracho are already attached to star in the series.
In cast the body count wasn’t high enough over the course of four films, Entertainment One and Nu are developing a RAMBO TV series. The two studios will be shopping the project to networks and word is that Sylvester Stallone may be reprising the titular role.
Fox has picked up the remake of the Australian series A MOODY CHRISTMAS. The original series’ creators Trent O’Donnell and Phil Lloyd will write the script and exec produce with Doug Ellen, Eric and Kim Tannenbaum and Jason Burrows. The comedy project centers on a man who finds himself coming back to the family he once left. O’Donnell and Lloyd are both repped by Gersh.
Fox has purchased a drama from Jerry Bruckheimer Television. Titled HOME and written by Aron Eli Coleite, the project centers on a seemingly normal suburban family with dark secrets. Coleite and Bruckheimer will exec produce with Jonathan Littman. Coleite is repped by CAA.
Debbie Allen has sold an untitled drama to CW. The project is set at a performing arts school in Los Angeles. Matt Witten will write and executive produce with Sam Haskell.
Comedy Central has placed a pilot order for single camera comedy BIG TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, FL. Penned by Alex Anfanger and Dan Schimpf, the show will follow two brothers who are self-proclaimed filmmakers as they are tossed out from their parents’ house and embark on an epic journey. Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films will be financing the project. Stephen Tobolowsky and Kathy Baker have been attached to star in the film.
FX has ordered a pilot for the animated comedy BIGFOOT. Penned by Matt McKenna and based on Graham Roumieu’s series of bigfoot autobiographies, the show will follow Bigfoot himself as he attempts to lead an average life in our modern day society. The show will be executive produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for Point Grey Pictures. McKenna will also executive produce along with writing. He is repped by UTA.
Neil Forsyth’s single-cam comedy EVERY OTHER SATURDAY has been put into development by ABC. The project centers on a flawed father trying to win over his son after a divorce.
Andy Gordon has sold half-hour comedies to Fox and Nickelodeon. At Fox he has set up FALLING INTO PLACE, which centers on five college friends a few years removed from college who all try to overcome loss. At Nick he has TWANG, which centers on four spoiled and privileged kids of a country music star who receive a rude awakening when they move back to their mom’s hometown in Tennessee. Gordon is repped by UTA.
Helen Childress will be writing the TV adaptation of the film REALITY BITES, which she wrote and Ben Stiller directed and starred in alongside Ethan Hawke and Winona Ryder. The show centers on a woman in the mid-nineties who struggles both personally and professionally as a young adult. Childress, Stiller, Debbie Liebling, and Stuart Cornfeld will exec produce. Childress is repped by Original Artists.
ABC has picked up IRREVERSIBLE from Segahl Avin. The project is based on the Israeli series “Bilti Hafich” and centers on an eccentric and self-absorbed couple. Peter Tolan will exec produce. Avin is repped by CAA.
NBC has picked up EMERALD CITY from Matthew Arnold. The project is a re-imagining of “The Wizard of Oz” in the vein of “Game of Thrones.” Arnold is repped by ICM.
TV RENEWALS
SULLIVAN & SON and MEN AT WORK have both been renewed for third seasons by TBS.
Disney XD’s KICKIN’ IT has been renewed for a fourth season. The season will air in 2014.
THE HAUNTED HATHAWAYS has been picked up for six more episodes to add on the the twenty already slated for the next season.
OWN has ordered 26 more episodes of Tyler Perry’s LOVE THY NEIGHBOR.
TV DEALS
Liz Sarnoff and Tricia Small have formed the TV production company Sarnoff Small Screens, which has an overall deal with Fox 21, under which they will develop new projects and contribute to the series “Salem.” Both Sarnoff and Small are repped by WME.
TV ATTACHMENTS
“You Kill Me” director John Dahl has jumped aboard the first two episodes of Starz’s series OUTLANDER as director. Penned by Ron Moore and based off of Diana Gabaldon’s series of time-traveling drama novels, the story follows Claire Randall as she returns from war and is reunited with her husband. While on a second honeymoon, Claire is accidently catapulted back in time to 1743 where she meets the handsome Scottish warrior James Fraser. Dahl has been a frequent director on Showtime’s “Dexter” from season 3 to 8, and has briefly worked on other shows such as “Justified”, “Homeland” and “Ray Donovan.” Dahl is repped by UTA.
Danny Boyle will direct a police drama written by Sam Bains and Jesse Armstrong. Boyle is repped by WME while Bains is repped by Independent Talent Group and Armstrong by CAA.
