Amy Pietz 'Amazing' for Lifetime, 'Miss/Guided' creator sticks with ABC

Add "Jason and the Argonauts" to the list of classic tales NBC is looking to turn into TV series.

The network has bought a script from brothers Josh and Jonas Pate, the showbiz trade papers report. The project is the latest in a line of classic stories NBC is developing, including "Crusoe," which premieres Friday, and the midseason series "Merlin."

Elsewhere in the pilot universe, Amy Pietz has signed on to star in a Lifetime pilot called "The Amazing Mrs. Novak," and Caroline Williams, the creator of "Miss/Guided," has landed a pilot order for a new show at ABC.

The Pate brothers' script is described as a "new take" on the Greek hero, whose quest for the Golden Fleece was previously chronicled in a 1963 movie noted for its stop-motion effects and a 2000 miniseries (which aired on NBC). If the project goes to series, it may be shot entirely using green screens, a la "300" and Sci Fi's new show "Sanctuary."

The Pates' previous credits include "Surface" and the 2003-04 "Dragnet." They've also each directed episodes of "Friday Night Lights."

At Lifetime, Pietz ("Aliens in America") will star in "The Amazing Mrs. Novak," about a supermarket manager who unexpectedly becomes the governor of New Jersey. Tom Verica ("Zodiac," "American Dreams") and Kristen Dattilo ("The Chris Isaak Show") have also joined the cast, The Hollywood Reporter says.

"Mrs. Novak" has been the subject of some scrutiny for its tenuous parallels to Sarah Palin's vice-presidential bid, but it's based on a British show that aired in 2006. Lifetime ordered the pilot in early August, before Palin joined John McCain's ticket.

ABC, meanwhile, has given a put pilot commitment to a comedy called "Made Over" from Williams, who created the short-lived "Miss/Guided" for the network last season. The show follows an appearance-obsessed cosmetics executive who quits her job and starts a consulting firm with another woman whose values are the polar opposite of her own.