Broadcaster DAN PATRICK and actor ADAM SANDLER's production company, Happy Madison, have "teamed to develop a workplace comedy for NBC revolving around a sports news program," according to Cynthia Littleton of VARIETY. The untitled project "will be penned" by BRIAN GATEWOOD and ALEX TANAKA. Patrick is "exec producing with DOUG DRAZIN and Happy Madison’s DOUG ROBINSON for Sony Pictures TV, where Happy Madison is based." The single-camera, half-hour show "focuses on a sports news program dubbed 'The Hit Show,' where a young YouTube personality is hired to co-anchor with a seasoned pro." NBC has "given the project a script plus penalty deal" (VARIETY.com, 12/18).
THE NATURAL? DEADLINE.com's Nellie Andreeva noted a baseball drama for Fox by DAN FOGLEMAN "has not been picked up to pilot yet." The project, on which Fogelman has "teamed with veteran comedy writer RICK SINGER, landed at Fox in September with a put pilot commitment." The intention all along "has been to proceed with a pilot order." Wile there has "been a delay, the drama is expected to get a pilot greenlight soon." The untitled project "follows a young pitcher who defies the odds to become the first woman to compete in professional baseball" (DEADLINE.com, 12/21).
SHOT CALLER: In DC, Soraya McDonald reported two writers "are suing MARK WAHLBERG, DWAYNE JOHNSON, 'BALLERS' creator STEPHEN LEVINSON and HBO for copyright infringement, alleging that HBO and the 'Ballers' producers stole the basis of the show from an original work, a movie they called 'OFF SEASON.'” According to the suit, in November '08, EVERETTE SILAS and SHERRI LITTLETON "had meetings with Mayhem, the production company behind 'THE GAME PLAN,' which starred Johnson, and 'INVINCIBLE,' which starred Wahlberg." Originally, Mayhem execs "told the pair they envisioned Johnson and Wahlberg starring in 'Off Season' and passed the script to them." However, negotiations to develop the project "fell apart" when Silas and Littleton "refused to sign an agreement that would have required them to remove their names from the 'created by' credits" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 12/20).
