The Big Bang Theory’s Simon Helberg and wife Jocelyn Towne, under their production banner, Wildline Entertainment, have just inked a two-year pod deal with Warner Brothers Television to develop series for WB.
Helberg’s Wildline will develop a half-hour comedy for the studio. Wildline also closed a deal last week, after a bidding war, for Legacy of Kings, which was just released Tuesday by Harlequin Teen Books (HarperCollins), about the untold story of a teenage Alexander the Great, before he was a conqueror, who sets out on a quest to earn his father’s respect. Alexander is accompanied by a band of others driven by their own motivations journeying to regain the Blood Magic, the only force capable of driving out an unspeakable evil that has taken root in the kingdom.
“It’s thrilling to meet these characters just as they are discovering their true identities,” said Towne. “We envision developing this as a historically rooted epic, but for a younger crowd.”
Legacy of Kings will be produced by Wildline Entertainment’s Helberg and Towne along with Lauren Oliver and Lexa Hillyer of Paper Lantern Lit, who packaged the book.
Wildline has added Cora Olson (Sundance hit Good Dick, Preservation) to head development and supervise projects for Wildline and the studio. Olson previously produced with Towne and Helberg on their feature film I Am I. Both Helbeg and Towne also wrote, co-directed and produced We’ll Never Have Paris.
“We grew up in an era when people watched television on something called a ‘television.’ Today there is more opportunity than ever to be personal and daring in TV, and we’re ecstatic to partner up with Warner Bros. to do just that,” said Helberg.