“Crash” To Become TV Series
According to Variety:
“Crash,” the 2005 best picture Oscar winner, will become a 13-episode TV series for John Malone’s Starz, the network’s first original drama ever.
Lionsgate, which distributed the film, is co-producing the series with Starz. Don Cheadle, a star-producer of “Crash,” will work behind the camera on the series along with Paul Haggis, the director, producer and co-writer of the movie, and four of the other producers: Bobby Moresco (also co-writer of the movie), Bob Yari, Mark R. Harris and Tom Nunan.
“This deal fits well with Starz’s strategy of making TV series out of presold movie commodities,” said Stephan Shelanski, executive VP of programming for Starz Entertainment. He points out that only one other best-picture Oscar winner has ever gone to series, “In the Heat of the Night.”
Shelanski said the series would have “high production values,” but decisions are still to be made on casting and the location where it’ll be produced. Starz will be able to begin work on those details immediately, Shalanski said, because Lionsgate has signed a separate deal with the writers’ guild.
