Talbert takes vows with ABC

Network signs script deal for comedy

By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

Playwright and feature helmer David Talbert ("First Sunday") is setting his sights on TV, sealing a script deal with ABC Studios.

Talbert is working on a comedy for the studio based on the early years of his own marriage.

Talbert called the multicamera laffer a "natural progression" from the legit world. He’s written 12 plays, including "The Fabric of a Man" and "Love in the Nick of Tyme."

"I have the distinction of being en route to becoming the only person in my family to stay married to the same person," he said. "It’s all about one man’s mission in life to stay married and break the family curse of divorce."

ABC Studios would produce the project, along with Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Talbert’s other credits include the NBC Jamie Foxx special "Unpredictable," which Talbert wrote and produced, and the TV One series "David E. Talbert’s Stage Black," which centered on aspiring thesps who competed for a spot as an understudy in a Talbert play.

BET has also started airing his plays, beginning with "The Fabric of a Man."

Beyond "First Sunday," Talbert is next set to direct the Fox Searchlight feature "Baggage Claim."