EXCLUSIVEFeature film director Phillip Noyce ("Clear and Present Danger," "Patriot Games") is close to a deal to direct the CBS pilot "Repair Shop," starring Anthony LaPaglia ("Murder One," "Bulletproof Heart") and produced by Columbia TriStar TV, Rysher Entertainment and Tribeca Prods.
Mark Frost ("Twin Peaks") is executive producing the pilot, along with Robert DeNiro, Tribeca's Jane Rosenthal, and Addis-Wechsler & Associates.
The drama is about a former member of a covert government agency who turns the table on his pursuers and former colleagues.
Separately, ABC has bought a 20th Century Fox drama pilot called "The Game," to be executive produced by John Tinker and Bill D'Elia ("Chicago Hope"), as well as former basketball star Earvin (Magic) Johnson.
The pilot is described as "L.A. Law" set in a Philadelphia sports agency.
Johnson has a production deal at the Fox studio, and he's also hosting an upcoming syndicated latenight talkshow for Twentieth TV. "The Game" is the first network pilot he's set to produce.
ABC also has bought a cast-contingent Disney pilot called "Honolulu Crew," a buddy cop drama produced by Jordan Kerner and Jon Avnet and written by Mark Haskell-Smith.
Rysher also sold two other pilots to CBS. "Family Brood" will be executive produced by Tom Fontana and James Yoshimura ("Homicide"), and centers around a family of Irish-American fire fighters in New York City.
The cast-contingent Rysher pilot "Matthew" is executive produced by Mike Pavone and Dave Johnson ("High Incident," "Against the Grain"). It's described as "Rain Man" meets "Phenomenon," and is about a man with a brain injury who has no memory of his past, but possesses unusual mental powers.
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