Joining the current exodus of film directors and stars to the small screen, Barry Levinson will follow up his recent The Humbling with the pilot for NBC's new series Shades Of Blue. The show, written by Adi Hasak (3 Days To Kill), will star Jennifer Lopez as an undercover FBI detective.
Levinson will also serve as executive producer on the series, which involves Lopez' Detective McCord struggling as a single mother whilst also getting involved in an investigation into corruption that will compromise many of McCord's former colleagues on the police force.
Following the pilot, he will, according to the press release, remain "hands-on in the development process". It's not his first brush with TV: he plays a similar role on the Canal+ / Sky Italia / Netflix historical drama Borgia.
"It’s an exciting project to be working on with Jennifer,” says Levinson. “Adi has written a police drama that gets into the fascinating dirt behind law enforcement with a female character we haven’t really seen before.”
Lopez and Hasak will also executive produce. There's no air date for Shades Of Blue yet, but the series is already guaranteed a season beyond its pilot episode. Expect it on screens next year
Levinson's Philip Roth adaptation The Humbling, meanwhile, stars Al Pacino and is currently on the festival circuit.