Dan Fogelman Dramedy Gets Pilot Order At NBC With ‘Focus’ Duo Directing

We have the first piece of new development from the 2015-16 broadcast cycle to get a pilot order. In a competitive situation, a

dramedy spec by The Neighbors and Galavant creator Dan Fogelman has landed at NBC with a pilot green light. Fogelman has brought in John Requa & Glenn Ficarra (Focus) as directors of the pilot — the three previously worked together on the feature Crazy, Stupid, Love, which Fogelman wrote and Requa and Ficarra directed. 20th Century Fox TV is the studio.

Written on spec by Fogelman, the untitled dramedy is made up of a unique ensemble of characters all born on the same day. Fogelman, Requa & Ficarra executive produce with Jess Rosenthal and Charlie Gogolak. A casting director will be hired shortly, with the goal to film the pilot by the end of the year.

This marks the first project for Fogelman since moving from ABC Studios to 20th TV in June with a four-year, eight-figure pure development deal. Because of the very personal, character-driven nature of the ensemble dramedy that is hard to convey in a pitch, Fogelman opted to write the project on spec. Fogelman’s former home network, ABC, where he had two pilots last year, did pursue his new project but lost out to NBC in the bidding.

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In addition to his development, Fogelman is executive producing two series this coming season — his ABC musical comedy Galavant, which is returning for second season, and the new Fox comedy Grandfathered, which 20th TV is co-producing with ABC Studios.

NBC has been very aggressive early in the buying process with a slew of big commitment, including pilot production commitments to the Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa/Greg Berlanti gothic soap Brides and the DC comedy Powerless and put pilot commitments to an Ian Edelman/Imagine drama as well as comedies from Gary Janetti and Jeff Astrof & Matt Miller.

Fogelman is repped by WME, Management 360 and Hansen Jacobsen; Requa & Ficarra, who wrote and directed the Will Smith starrer Focus, are repped by CAA and attorney Jeff Frankel.

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