ABC is heading back into female thriller territory.
The female-focused network has made a put pilot commitment for No Way Back, based on a 2013 novel from best-selling author Andrew Gross. The hour-long project centers on two women, who join forces and embark on a dangerous odyssey to find the truth and save their lives.
PHOTOS: ABC's 2013-14 Season: Marvel's 'SHIELD,' 'Once Upon a Time' Spinoff and 'Trophy Wife'
One of the women is a suburban mother and ex-cop, whose chance meeting with a stranger in a hotel ends when the man is murdered and she's the only witness. The other is a young woman from Mexico who has a deadly secret that has driven her into hiding until she can prove her innocence. It's a desperate hunt that leads them into a nefarious web of treachery, lies and corruption involving drug lords, arm dealers and shadowy figures in the highest echelons of government.
Jessica Sharzer, who currently serves as a co-executive producer on FX's American Horror Story, will write and executive produce the drama, which is set up at Imagine Television in association with 20th Century Fox TV. Imagine's Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo are on board as executive producers.
The network most recently waded into the female action thriller space with the Ashley Judd-fronted Missing, a mid-season effort that saw an early demise. For it's part, No Way Back joins a series of development projects at ABC, including an autobiographical comedy project from Jay Baruchel, a murder trial drama from Kelly Masterson (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) and a comedy about a big-city female attorney who moves to a small town from The Office's Ed Helms.
No Way Back is the latest from Gross, whose vast collection includes 15 Seconds, Eyes Wide Open and The Blue Zone, among other novels. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with James Patterson, which have included best-sellers 2nd Chance and 3rd Degree.
Sharzer is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content and Lichter Grossman; Grazer is already repped by CAA and Bloom Hergott.
