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Spike TV is poised to explore the Crusades.
The Viacom-owned cable network is teaming with executive producer Pierce Brosnan to develop The Crusaders as an event series, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
One of the seminal events in history, Spike’s event series takes place during the Third Crusade, after the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin‘s armies. It centers on two different knights who journey from Scotland to the Holy Land for very different reasons. There, bound together in the crucible that is war, politics and betrayal, they will encounter and be forced to overcome, among others, Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, the Hashshashin and ultimately their own personal demons.
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Gladiator writer David Franzoni will team with Michael Finch (Predators) to pen the script and executive produce alongside Brosnan and Beau St. Clair via the former’s Irish DreamTime banner, Sennet Entertainment’s Mark Sennet, Craig Sheftell (Bag of Bones) and Brian Gary (Jefferson Davis: An American President). Spike exec vp original series Sharon Levy and vp original series Justin Lacob will oversee for the network.
The Crusaders arrives as Spike is continuing its push back into original fare. The network is also developing The Chairman, based on the Stephen Grey best-seller; The War at the Shore, based on Richard D. “Skip” Bronson‘s book; and Basket Case by Carl Hiaasen. Spike will debut its first event series, King Tut entry Tut in 2015, with Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley attached.
Brosnan is repped by CAA; Franzoni is with Paradigm; Finch is with Verve.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit
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