Marking its official entry into developing long-form event series, Fox Broadcasting Company announced today that it has inked development deals for two large-scale drama projects: “Wayward Pines,” from M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable) and FX Productions; and “Blood Brothers,” from Bruce C. McKenna (“Band of Brothers,” “The Pacific”), Gary Randall (“The Glades,” “Saving Grace”), Timothy Scott Bogart (“Majors & Minors,” “Touched”), Boardwalk Entertainment Group and Fox Television Studios.
Fox will order its first event series pilot(s) later this year with plans to debut its first long-form event series in 2014.
“With top-notch auspices and feature-quality production plans, ‘Wayward Pines’ and ‘Blood Brothers’ represent exactly the kind of high-impact, 10- to 12-part events we set out to develop when we entered the limited series business,” said Kevin Reilly, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “These two series are the first of many big ideas, big names and big talent that you can anticipate will be on our air in the next 12-24 months.”
Based on the best-selling novel, “Pines,” by Blake Crouch and brought to life by suspense-driven filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, “Wayward Pines” is an intense, mind-bending thriller evocative of the classic cult hit “Twin Peaks.” Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrives in the bucolic town of Wayward Pines, ID, on a mission to find two missing federal agents. But instead of answers, Ethan’s investigation only turns up more questions. What’s wrong with Wayward Pines? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the life he knew, from the husband and father he was, until he must face the terrifying reality that he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive. “Wayward Pines” is based on a spec script written by Chad Hodge (“The Playboy Club”) and executive-produced by Shyamalan, Hodge, Donald De Line (Green Lantern, The Italian Job) and Ashwin Rajan (After Earth).
“Blood Brothers” is the true story of the West Point Class of 1861. As our bitterly divided country tore itself apart over the issue of slavery, the West Point Brotherhood broke apart. Best friends, bonded in the intense crucible of the Academy, found themselves on opposite sides of a conflict that quickly became the bloodiest in U.S. history. For four violent years, these former comrades fought directly against each other, even as many of them rose from lowly second lieutenants to field generals. Throughout the conflict, however, they never lost their love and esteem for each other, which often resulted in many acts of kindness that stretched across enemy lines. Some died; others were broken by the conflict. But every one of the Brothers was utterly changed by a war that not only redefined America, but which still resonates today. “Blood Brothers” is written by McKenna, and executive-produced by McKenna, Randall and Bogart.
