ABC has issued a put pilot commitment to a new TV series that will serve as a sequel to the 1998 action-thrillerEnemy of the State.Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the original movie which starredWill SmithandGene Hackman, will return to produce theTV series. A put pilot commitment generally leads to a series order, since the network will be forced to pay the producers a penalty if the pilot doesn’t air.
Deadlinereports that the series will be set 20 years after the original movie, following an NSA spy charged with leaking classified information. The spy teams up with an “idealistic female attorney” and a “hawkish FBI agent” to shut down a massive global conspiracy, while personal mysteries connect all three of their lives together. Thepilot scriptwill be penned byBlackhatscreenwriterMorgan Davis Foehl.
Enemy Of the Statemarks the first major TV sale forJerry BruckheimerProductions, since the company ended its 15-year partnership with Warner Bros. Television. This new series does not mark a new deal betweenJerry BruckheimerProductions and ABC Studios, but stems from the original movie being produced by ABC Studios' parent company, Disney. Since leaving Warner Bros. Television in May,Jerry BruckheimerTelevision has been meeting with investors for a possible re-launch as an independent studio, but the company is also exploring an alliance with a traditional TV studio as well.
The originalEnemy of the Statemovie, which was directed by the lateTony Scottand written byDavid Marconi, followed attorney Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith), whose life is upended when he is framed for murder by a corrupt intelligence official. As an administrator on loan from the State Department to the National Security Agency, Thomas Brian Reynolds (Jon Voight) appropriates the vast resources of his department to commit the perfect crime and conceal a political cover up of immense proportions. Dean’s only hope to reclaim his life and prove his innocence is a man he’s never met, a mysterious underground information broker and ex-intelligence operative known only as Brill (Gene Hackman). The movie, which was produced for $90 million, earned $111.5 million domestically and $250.6 million worldwide during its theatrical run in 1998.
Enemy of the StatemarksJerry Bruckheimer’s return to ABC Studios, where he was originally based until 2000, when the studio pulled out of the originalCSITV series, just after receiving a series order on CBS. The producer also serves as an executive producer on ABC Studios' hitreality series,The Amazing Race, which was developed an sold beforeJerry Bruckheimerleft the studio.Morgan Davis Foehlmade his screenwriting debut withBlackhat, but he previously served as an assistant editor on the FX TV seriesRescue Meand movies such asClickandI Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. He is currently adaptingEscape from Davaofor producerTripp Vinsonand is developingThe Assetat 20th Century Fox for producerRidley Scott. His screenplay forWhatever Gets You Through The Nightlanded on The Black List back in 2009.
