Pilots: Ben Stiller Lands Project at FOX

Zap2It.com | January 20, 2009

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Spy comedy is one of seven pilots the network orders

FOX has gone on a pilot-ordering binge, greenlighting seven projects that will contend for spots in the network's lineup next season.

The four comedies and three dramas include projects from Ben Stiller and a "Friday Night Lights" writer-producer and, as previously reported, a comic-book adaptation produced by McG. They join the previously ordered dramedy "Eva Adams" and the comedy "Boldly Going Nowhere," which is being reworked, on the pilot roster.

The Stiller comedy is called "The Station" and centers on a group of CIA officers in South America, the showbiz trade papers report. Their mission: to bring a new dictator to power. Kevin Napier wrote the script, and Stiller, who's an executive producer, may also direct the pilot.

The other comedies include "Two Dollar Beer," about of a working-class couple in Detroit and their circle of friends. It comes from writer-producer Mike Binder ("The Mind of the Married Man," "Reign Over Me").

"Walorsky" centers on an ex-cop who now works as a mall security guard and is forced to pay more attention to the job when he's assigned a dim new partner. Alessandro Tanaka and Brian Gatewood wrote the script, and the trades note that the network made the decision to greenlight the pilot before last weekend's box-office returns made "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" the No. 1 movie in America.

The last comedy is called "Sons of Tucson" and follows three brothers who hire a con man to act as their father while their wealthy real dad is in prison. Greg Bratman and Tommy Dewey wrote the script, and former "Malcolm in the Middle" star Justin Berfield is one of the exec producers.

The drama orders include an untitled project from "Friday Night Lights" writer-producer David Hudgins. It follows a team of "past-life investigators" who delve into clients' previous incarnations to fix problems in this life.

FOX has also ordered the McG-produced "Human Target," based on the DC/Vertigo comic book, and "Maggie Hill," about a surgeon dealing with the onset of schizophrenia. Both pilots were reported to be on the verge of pickups last week.