LIFE ON MARS!Life On Mars was one of the most fun and hippest cop series to come out of the BBC in years. A mixture of farce, sci-fi, and every bad ‘70s cop show you could name – weird but it worked. Now writer/producer extrodinaire David E. Kelly is Americanizing the concept for ABC.
ABC is determined to make Jason O'Mara into a TV detective.
O'Mara, who starred in the network's Philip Marlowe pilot earlier this year, has now landed the lead role in Life on Mars, David E. Kelley's adaptation of the BBC series about a cop who wakes up 30-some years in the past. His casting allows the pilot, which had been put on hold while Kelley and Co. searched for a lead, to move forward again.
"This is a complicated character with many colors. After an exhaustive search, we're thrilled to have cast Jason O'Mara," Kelley says in a statement. "He's a tremendous talent, and we are confident that he will live up to the potential of the character and of the series."
Life on Mars centers on Sam Tyler, a present-day detective who, following a serious car accident, wakes up to find himself in the early 1970s. He's not sure if he's actually gone back in time, is in a coma or just crazy, but in working cases in the earlier time period he gets clues to his present-day state.
The two seasons of the British series aired recently on BBC America.
ABC's pilot, written by Kelley and directed by Thomas Schlamme (Studio 60, The West Wing) was originally considered for the fall. After having difficulty finding someone to play Tyler, however, the producers and ABC pushed the project to midseason. It's now scheduled to go into production in August for possible midseason consideration. Rachelle Lefevre (What About Brian), who was initially cast as the only female detective in the 1970s department, remains attached to the show.
O'Mara became available for Life on Mars after ABC passed on Marlowe, a pilot updating Raymond Chandler's iconic detective, this spring. He's also had a recurring role on ABC's Men in Trees and starred in the short-lived In Justice during the 2005-06 season. His credits also include The Agency and Band of Brothers.
The future of Life on Mars looks more certain at ABC, now that the network has renewed Boston Legal for a fifth season.
David E. Kelley's Emmy-winning legal drama will return to ABC in the fall, albeit with a somewhat tighter budget. The network and 20th Century Fox TV, which produces the show wit Kelley's company, negotiated a somewhat lower license fee, which will likely mean some paring of the show's cast (Saffron Burrows, for one, has moved on to an NBC show).
The pickup of Legal likely paves the way for Life on Mars to make its way to the network, the showbiz trade papers report. ABC wants the series -- an adaptation of the BBC series of the same name -- and has lined up the October Road team of Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg to serve as showrunners.
Kelley, however, owns the rights to the show and had to approve any such deal. ABC's willingness to renew Boston Legal helped lead Kelley to OK the deal for Life on Mars. The trades say that while a deal is not completed yet, it's fairly certain that Life on Mars will have a place on ABC's 2008-09 schedule.
The network will announce its lineup for next season on Tuesday (May 13). NBC import Scrubs and the Ashton Kutcher-produced game show Opportunity Knocks are expected to join Life on Mars on the fall schedule, which will be light on new series. Modestly rated freshman shows Eli Stone and Miss Guided are reportedly in contention for spots either in the fall or at midseason.
PREMISE OF THE BBC ORIGINAL LIFE ON MARS
Months after a near-fatal car crash somehow sends him hurtling back to the year 1973, Manchester Police Detective Sam Tyler has begun to give up hope that he'll return to his former life. Nonetheless, he has risen through the ranks of the department, where he continues to clash with his morally lax and technologically challenged boss, Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt. Sam gets a further surprise when a new member joins their team: Glenn Fletcher, a fresh-faced new recruit who, Sam knows, will grow into the formidable chief inspector who mentors Sam back in his future life.
"This is a complicated character with many colors. After an exhaustive search, we're thrilled to have cast Jason O'Mara," Kelley says in a statement. "He's a tremendous talent, and we are confident that he will live up to the potential of the character and of the series."
Life on Mars centers on Sam Tyler, a present-day detective who, following a serious car accident, wakes up to find himself in the early 1970s. He's not sure if he's actually gone back in time, is in a coma or just crazy, but in working cases in the earlier time period he gets clues to his present-day state.
The two seasons of the British series aired recently on BBC America.
ABC's pilot, written by Kelley and directed by Thomas Schlamme (Studio 60, The West Wing) was originally considered for the fall. After having difficulty finding someone to play Tyler, however, the producers and ABC pushed the project to midseason. It's now scheduled to go into production in August for possible midseason consideration. Rachelle Lefevre (What About Brian), who was initially cast as the only female detective in the 1970s department, remains attached to the show.
O'Mara became available for Life on Mars after ABC passed on Marlowe, a pilot updating Raymond Chandler's iconic detective, this spring. He's also had a recurring role on ABC's Men in Trees and starred in the short-lived In Justice during the 2005-06 season. His credits also include The Agency and Band of Brothers.
The future of Life on Mars looks more certain at ABC, now that the network has renewed Boston Legal for a fifth season.
David E. Kelley's Emmy-winning legal drama will return to ABC in the fall, albeit with a somewhat tighter budget. The network and 20th Century Fox TV, which produces the show wit Kelley's company, negotiated a somewhat lower license fee, which will likely mean some paring of the show's cast (Saffron Burrows, for one, has moved on to an NBC show).
The pickup of Legal likely paves the way for Life on Mars to make its way to the network, the showbiz trade papers report. ABC wants the series -- an adaptation of the BBC series of the same name -- and has lined up the October Road team of Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg to serve as showrunners.
Kelley, however, owns the rights to the show and had to approve any such deal. ABC's willingness to renew Boston Legal helped lead Kelley to OK the deal for Life on Mars. The trades say that while a deal is not completed yet, it's fairly certain that Life on Mars will have a place on ABC's 2008-09 schedule.
The network will announce its lineup for next season on Tuesday (May 13). NBC import Scrubs and the Ashton Kutcher-produced game show Opportunity Knocks are expected to join Life on Mars on the fall schedule, which will be light on new series. Modestly rated freshman shows Eli Stone and Miss Guided are reportedly in contention for spots either in the fall or at midseason.
PREMISE OF THE BBC ORIGINAL LIFE ON MARS
Months after a near-fatal car crash somehow sends him hurtling back to the year 1973, Manchester Police Detective Sam Tyler has begun to give up hope that he'll return to his former life. Nonetheless, he has risen through the ranks of the department, where he continues to clash with his morally lax and technologically challenged boss, Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt. Sam gets a further surprise when a new member joins their team: Glenn Fletcher, a fresh-faced new recruit who, Sam knows, will grow into the formidable chief inspector who mentors Sam back in his future life.
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