NBC Picks Up Crusoe
Watch out, Lost and Survivor: NBC is bringing the original desert island castaway to primetime, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The network has ordered 13 episodes of Robinson Crusoe, a drama series based on Daniel Defoe's classic novel, and plans to launch it this fall or midseason 2009, depending on whether there will be an actors strike in the summer. Crusoe reportedly came out of an unorthodox brainstorming idea of new NBC chief Ben Silverman, who asked his development team to generate a list of the most engaging stories ever told -- ranging from The Last of the Mohicans to Sleeping Beauty. Crusoe was at the top of that list. Also high on it and under serious consideration at the network are the tales of David and Goliath and Jekyll and Hyde, sources said. More from the Reporter after the jump.
"Crusoe" will be produced by Universal Media Services and Power, the leading European producer of high-end TV movies and miniseries. Power said the deal marks the first time in 45 years that a scripted series for a U.S. broadcast network is produced by a British company.
The budget for the 13-episode series is said to be about $35 million. NBC/UMS' portion is estimated at about $10 million, for which NBC gets domestic rights to "Crusoe."
