EXCLUSIVE: Max has picked up for development a law enforcement drama from Tomorrow Studios (One Piece, Snowpiercer), Marty Adelstein’s joint venture with ITV Studios. The project, loosely inspired by Geraldine Hart‘s experiences as an FBI agent and police commissioner, stems from Tomorrow Studios’ first-look deal with Story Syndicate, the media company founded by Oscar- and Emmy-winning documentary filmmakers Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan.
Eileen Myers (The Night Agent) is writing the pilot for the untitled series, which follows a legendary FBI agent who returns to her hometown on Long Island to clean up mob corruption and quickly finds that the rot is even deeper and darker than she thought. Before long, she finds herself facing down nefarious entities from all sides.
Garbus, who has branched out into drama series directing with episodic work on shows like The Handmaid’s Tale, which earned her an Emmy nomination, and Yellowjackets, will helm the potential pilot. Myers and Hart executive produce alongside Adelstein, Becky Clements and Alissa Bachner through Tomorrow Studios; Garbus, Dan Cogan and Nellie Reed for Story Syndicate; as well as Anne Beagan and Stacy Sherman through Anne Beagan Productions.
The project fits into Max’s new original drama series strategy that kicked off with the upcoming medical drama The Pitt as big-budget, IP-driven shows such as The Penguin, Welcome To Derry and Harry Potter migrated to HBO.
“I think a good template for a Max drama would be what John Wells is doing with The Pitt which is, for lack of a better word, network drama, ongoing, close-end storytelling done at a price that is reasonable,” Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO and Max Content, told Deadline in an interview Sunday.
Cop, medical and legal are the three cornerstone genres of network drama procedurals.
Hart most recently served as Suffolk County Police Commissioner where she applied new scientific technology to advance cold cases and developed and implemented sweeping reforms. Her 22 years with the FBI included oversight of the Long Island office where she spearheaded investigations of organized crime, public corruption, terrorism, and counterintelligence. She also headed the Long Island Gang Task Force, a multi-agency effort to address and dismantle violent gang activity. She is currently Hofstra University’s Associate Vice President of Public Safety and Community Engagement.