'Les Misérables' TV Show Script Ordered by 'Veronica Mars' Creator Rob Thomas
"Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas is turning "Les Misérables" into a modern-day series.
Inspired by Victor Hugo's 1862 novel, Thomas has teamed up with actor-writer Graham Norris for the drama, Deadline reports. The Rob Thomas Productions and Warner Bros. project has landed a script order at Fox.
From the script description, the main character will presumably be based on Jean Valjean.
"The contemporary take is a primetime soap about a brilliant lawyer running a legal exoneration program who fights to evade the consequences of his own unjust conviction many years before," Deadline writes. "He must navigate high society, continue his mission of saving innocent people, and manage his tumultuous family and romantic life -- all while staying one step ahead of a ruthless U.S. Attorney who refuses to let the ghosts of the pasts die.
Thomas will serve as executive producer and Norris as supervising producer while collaborating with Danielle Stokdyk and Dan Etheridge, Deadline writes. Thomas worked previously with Stokdyk and Etheridge on UPN's "Veronica Mars," Starz's "Party Down," and and ABC's "Cupid."
The "Veronica Mars" movie recently wrapped filming earlier this summer. Thomas raised almost $6 million through Kickstarter to make the film possible. The movie spinoff, starring Kristen Bell, James Franco, Tina Marjorino and Krysten Ritter, is set to be released in 2014.
The success of the 1980s Broadway musical "Les Misérables" has made the European classic a popular phenomenon in the U.S. and around the world. Over the past year, there has been a "Les Mis" revival fueled by the 2012 movie adaptation.
The film, starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne, garnered multiple Oscar nominations. Hathaway won Best Supporting Actress at the awards earlier this year, for her portrayal of the ill-fated Fantine.
According to Entertainment Weekly, a new Broadway production of the musical is set to premiere in March 2014.