Dorothy is going back to Oz in "Somewhere," an original telefilm in development at CBS.
The contemporary story of recently widowed Dorothy Gale who returns to Oz, "Somewhere" marks Barbara Lieberman's return to producing.
Lieberman, who ankled her post as senior VP of TV and miniseries at ABC in 1998, recently signed a first-look deal for network and cable telefilms with Robert Greenwald Prods.
Lieberman's new company, Barbara Lieberman Prods., has a number of projects in development, including "Somewhere," which she'll exec produce with Rod Steiger and Dale Rosenbloom. Darryl Marshak and Lisa Shapiro of Gold, Marshak, Liedtke brokered the deal.
Also in development at CBS is "The Tie That Binds," a two-hour telepic based on the novel of the same name by Ken Haruf. The story of a woman who sacrifices her great love to care for her family, "Tie" will be re-published in May by Knopf. Playwright Dawn O'Leary will pen the script adapted from Haruf's book.
Lieberman also has optioned O'Leary's script "Island of Brilliance," based on her award-winning play of the same name. Lieberman's CBS projects are being shepherded by Sunta Izzicupo, senior VP of CBS TV movies and miniseries. She also has a four-hour miniseries based on a high-profile crime story in development at the Eye net.
Lieberman has optioned "Curse," the latest novel by Andrew Neiderman ("The Devil's Advocate"), which will be released by Pocketbooks in the fall. In development as a telefilm at Lifetime, "Curse" is the story of a modern-day witch wrongly accused of murder. Edithe Swenson is adapting the novel. Lieberman will exec produce in association with Hearst Entertainment.
Among the projects Lieberman was responsible for while at ABC are "Oprah Winfrey Presents Before Women Had Wings," "Oprah Winfrey Presents the Wedding," "Into Thin Air," "Family Pictures" and the mini-series "The Jacksons: An American Dream."
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