Shingle sets up pilot duo
NBC, Fox pick up Krasnoff/Foster's 'Lawyer,' 'Nut'
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NBC has snatched up the blog-based drama "The Anonymous Lawyer," while Fox is playing ball with "Bull Durham" scribe Ron Shelton on a comedy called "The Nut."
Both projects are from Sony Pictures Television-based Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment, which signed a film and TV deal with the studio in the winter.
Scribe Jeff Rake ("The Practice") will exec produce "Anonymous Lawyer," which is based on the just-released tome of the same name by 27-year-old blogger Jeremy Blachman. Rake and Blachman will write the pilot script together, with Blachman onboard as a producer.
"Anonymous Lawyer," a sort of "The Devil Wears Prada" set in a law firm, stems from a blog Blachman started after a summer internship in New York. Content was fictional, but it caught the attention of publisher Henry Holt, which turned the Harvard Law School grad's blog into a book.
Rake, a former lawyer, got wind of the book and began pursuing the rights. Krasnoff/Foster did the same thing, and since both are based at Sony, they decided to team up.
The show will be "a comedic take on the get-ahead-at-any-cost mentality that's prevalent in our society," Rake said. "It speaks to people in all lines of work."
Rake is having a busy development season: He just snagged a put pilot commitment from ABC for an hourlong cop drama (Daily Variety, July 24).
NBC has ordered a script with penalty attached. Former Sony TV production chief Russ Krasnoff and film producer Gary Foster ("Ghost Rider") will join Rake as exec producers.
Krasnoff is also exec producing "The Nut," the Shelton-penned project set up for Fox. Net has given a put pilot commitment to the single-camera half-hour about a man juggling work, life and family.
Foster produced "Tin Cup" with Shelton, a connection that led to conversations with Krasnoff/Foster about TV.
"It all started with him telling stories about his family," said Krasnoff, noting the skein will be a blend of fact and fiction.
"Anonymous Lawyer" and "The Nut" are the first two TV projects for Krasnoff/Foster. Foster said the deal with Shelton in particular showed the benefits of a company whose principals have strong connections in film (Foster) and TV (Krasnoff).
"There's no way we would've been able to navigate these waters without a partner like Russ who understands the business inside and out," he said.
Shelton's next pic is "Our Lady of the Ballpark," which he'll also direct.
