Shane Brennan is firing up his development for the 2012-13 season with two drama projects set up at CBS, one of which is a private eye vehicle based on the “King and Maxwell” novel series by David Baldacci.
Brennan, the exec producer of CBS’ sturdy “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “NCIS” franchises, has also recruited former CBS TV Studios current programming exec Grant Anderson to serve as prexy of his Shane Brennan Prods., which inked a megabucks overall deal with CBS TV Studios in April (Daily Variety, April 21).
The “King and Maxwell” project has been developed with Baldacci and his producing partner,
Karen Spiegel. Brennan will pen the pilot that revolves around two former Secret Service agents-turned-private investigators. Brennan said he’s a fan of Baldacci’s many books and believes that the male and femme sleuths of “King and Maxwell” are “absolutely television characters — they’re the sort of characters I would develop myself.”
The concept of the series is very contemporary as it involves “insiders who get involved in cases where discretion is needed,” he said. “It’s very much a series of our time when we have so much frustration and suspicion of government and intelligence agencies.”
The other project Brennan is shepherding is a medical procedural from scribe Jordan Hawley (“Smallville”), who will write the pilot script. Concept for “Cure” revolves around a team of doctors who travel the country taking on unusual medical cases in the hope of finding a cure for a reclusive billionaire’s terminally ill child.
Brennan said he sparked immediately to Hawley’s pitch.
“It just screams out to be made as a TV show,” he said. “I’ve never envisioned a TV series so clearly as when Jordan walked in and pitched us his idea.”
Brennan made the decision in the spring to focus on development for the 2012-13 season. For the coming season, he has turned over the showrunner reins on “NCIS” to exec producer Gary Glasberg. He remains at the helm of “NCIS: LA.”
Anderson moved over to Brennan’s shop about six weeks ago to help hone the development projects. He’s spent the past six years at CBS TV Studios, most recently serving as veep of current programming. He’s worked closely with Brennan on both “NCIS” shows as well as the “CSI” skeins and “Criminal Minds.” Before working as an exec, he was a producer on NBC’s “Third Watch.”
“Grant is particularly good with giving incisive notes because of his production experience,” Brennan said. “It’s rare to find someone with that kind of detailed understanding of a production’s needs.”
Brennan and Baldacci are repped by Paradigm. Brennan’s also repped by attorney Kevin Kelly of Gendler and Kelly.
