Martini's 'Judge' to CBS

By CHRIS PETRIKIN

Coming on the heels of its record-setting option of Ken Follett's "The Third Twin," Jaffe/Braunstein Films has picked up the TV rights to Steve Martini's courtroom drama "The Judge." Principals Michael Jaffe and Howard Braunstein will develop the novel as a four-hour miniseries that they'll executive produce for CBS.

The deal included a low-six-figure option against a seven-figure purchase price.

"The Judge" is the second Martini book acquired by Jaffe/Braunstein. The two-parter "Steve Martini's Undue Influence" aired on CBS in September.

In "The Judge," an attorney is forced to defend his longtime foe, a judge who has been charged with the brutal murder of a young female police officer. Book was published in hardcover by G.P. Putnam's Sons last year and in paperback by Berkley this year. Martini's novels "Undue Influence" and "The Judge" each sold more than 1 million copies in paperback.

Jaffe/Braunstein has produced 20 films over the past four years and recently completed principal photography on "First Do No Harm," a two-hour telefilm for ABC starring Meryl Streep and Fred Ward and directed by Jim Abrahams.

Martini, who practiced law for nearly 20 years, was repped on the deal by Paul Nagle and Robert Gottlieb of William Morris.