Nets jell with Mel TV plans

Con Artists takes on law

By JOSEF ADALIAN

Gibson

Mel Gibson's newly christened Con Artists Prods. TV banner has set up four network projects for next season, including a trio of dramas exploring various aspects of the law.

Two potential pilots, both from feature scribes Brad Follmer and Lauren Iungerich, are in the works at UPN via Spelling Television. Paramount will produce another Con Artists project for CBS, while ABC has bought a comedy to be produced via Touchstone.

Gibson's small-screen unit, a partnership with Bruce Davey that's run by prexy Nancy Cotton, had previously utilized the Icon label. Starting this development season, Gibson and Davey opted to use the Con Artists Prods. banner for TV work, with Icon reserved mostly for film.

In addition, Cotton has tapped former UPN drama exec Larry Gilbert to serve as director of development.

The UPN dramas from Follmer and Iungerich include "Conflict of Interest," a souped-up spin on "L.A. Law" about a young female lawyer trying to have it all. While working on the pilot script for "Conflict of Interest," Follmer and Iungerich realized they had stumbled upon the germ of an idea for a second skein -- and quickly sold another pitch to UPN.

That second project, which is untitled, will be a legal-medical hybrid focusing on lawyers who investigate medical cases gone wrong.

Ed Zuckerman ("Killer Instinct," "Law & Order") is supervising the writing on both projects. UPN and Gibson's company last teamed for the critically hailed Taye Diggs starrer "Kevin Hill."

Keeping to the legal theme, Con Artists has "Solomon v. Lord" at CBS, with Paramount producing. Based on the novel by Paul Levine, show is a Miami-set legal procedural a la "Moonlighting."

Levine and Randy Anderson ("Joan of Arcadia") are adapting the book for TV and will likely exec produce.

On the comedy tip, Con Artists has sold ABC on an untitled laffer from scribe-exec producer Sherri Cooper ("Everwood"). It's a single-camera show from the POV of a new mom balancing work and motherhood.

On all Con Artists projects, Cotton and Davey are both onboard as exec producers. Gibson, now working on "Apocalypto," hasn't made any final decisions as to which projects he will exec produce himself.

After a heavy selling season two years ago, Con Artists had a relatively quiet development cycle last spring before revving up this year. Cotton said she, Gibson and Davey "don't have any hard and fast rules" about how much to develop each year.

"We're still a boutique," she added. "We're just drawn by material and writers we want to be in business with."

In addition to their TV projects, Follmer and Iungerich are working on a feature for Icon dubbed "Greatness." Duo previously sold the script "Superhero Summer Camp" to Warners.