- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Less than a week after ordering drama Un-Real to series, Lifetime has snagged its second new scripted entry of the year.
The female-skewing cable network has picked up dystopian thriller The Lottery to series, handing out a 10-episode order for the drama from Children of Men‘s Timothy J. Sexton.
Set in a time when women stop having children, The Lottery reveals a human population staring down the barrel of impending extinction. Remarkably, 100 embryos are successfully fertilized and a national lottery is held to decide the surrogates. As conflict, control and mystery over this important scientific breakthrough unfold, government interests and power begin to dominate one of the most personal and basic elements of humanity — the right to have a family.
Sexton, who penned the Toronto Film Festival title Libertador, will write the project and serve as executive producer with Dawn Olmstead (Prison Break, Hatfields & McCoys). Grady Girl Productions and Warner Horizon TV produce.
“The Lottery is one of the most provocative and original concepts we’ve ever seen,” Lifetime executive vp and GM Rob Sharenow said Tuesday. “Tim Sexton’s unique dystopian thriller represents an exciting new direction for Lifetime and continues cable’s position on the leading edge of bold, high-quality scripted drama.”
Marley Shelton, Michael Graziadei, David Alpay and Martin Donovan star. Danny Cannon directed and exec produced the pilot.
For Lifetime, The Lottery joins a scripted slate that includes Marti Noxon‘s Un-Real, Marc Cherry‘s Devious Maids, Drop Dead Diva and Witches of East End. On the pilot side, the female-skewing cable network is prepping Nicholas Sparks drama Deliverance Creek, which is airing as a two-hour backdoor pilot. The network recently passed on Alicia Silverstone drama pilot HR, which was directed by Sex and the City‘s Darren Star.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day