ABC continued a busy Tuesday ordering three dramas including a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, a steamy drama from a ER producer, a supernatural entry produced by Brad Pitt and a comedy from the Bad Teacher writers to pilot.
On the drama side, Betrayal is based on the Dutch format about an unhappily married woman who begins a torrid affair with the lawyer for a powerful family. ER's David Zabel will pen the pilot and executive produce the ABC Studios vehicle, with Alon Araya and Rob Golenberg exec producing.
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For its part, Venice is described as a Romeo and Juliet-esque drama about two rival families and a forbidden and dangerous romance that emerges as they battle for control of Venice, Calif. Byron Balasco (Without a Trace, FlashForward, Detroit 187) will write and executive produce the Warner Bros. Television drama with Wunderland's McG and Peter Johnson on board to exec produce. McG will also direct the pilot.
The Returnedlooks at what happens when the people you have mourned and buried suddenly appear on your doorstep as if not a day’s gone by? The lives of the people of Aurora are forever changed when their deceased loved ones, return…
The drama effort is penned by Criminal Minds’ Aaron Zelman, with Brillstein Entertainment and Brad Pitt's Plan B attached to executive produce. The hourlong project is set up at ABC Studios.
Zelman is repped by 3 Arts and Stone Meyer.
Comedy Pulling, which is based on the 2006 British series by the same name, hails from Bad Teacher scribes Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. The pair will write and executive produce the adaptation, which revolves around three dysfunctional women in their 30s living their lives the way they want, even if society tells them they should have it all figured out by this point.
Sharon Horgan -- who played one of the women in the original -- and Dennis Kelly, creators of the U.K. series, will exec produce the project from ABC Studios and Aaron Kaplan's Kapital Entertainment. ABC previously developed a U.S. iteration of Pulling during the 2008-09 development season, but the effort failed to get a series order.
Zabel is with WME and Hansen Jacobson; Eisenberg and Stupnitsky are repped by WME and Mosaic.
The pilots join the previously announced S.H.I.E.L.D. drama and comedy effort Mixology, among others at the network.
