Berman, Braun
adding U.K.
spice to projects
Daily
Variety
By
Josef Adalian
Mon.,
Aug. 27, 2007
Gail
Berman and Lloyd Braun have set up a pair of projects at
NBC, both with
BermanBraun is teaming with
"Prime Suspect" scribe Lynda LaPlante on
"Mafia Wives,"
an hourlong drama script about mob wives who take
over the family business. LaPlante will write the
pilot and serve as exec producer, along with Braun and Berman.
While best known
for the Helen Mirren starrer
"Prime Suspect,"
Berman and Braun
are also in business with Jane Bussmann, a
former columnist for
In addition to
numerous
Bussmann and LaPlante
projects both will be produced by BermanBraun in
association with Universal Media Studios, which has a rich first-look deal with
Berman and Braun.
New NBC co-chief Ben
Silverman and development head Teri Weinberg probably didn't need
much introduction to Bussmann or LaPlante.
Both execs are known for their strong international ties, having developed
"The Office" and "Ugly Betty" from global formats.
BermanBraun projects rep the first
confirmed network sales for the company, which is in the middle of its first
full development season. It tapped Rachel Kaplan, an ex-Warner Bros.
exec, to head scripted development last spring.
Earlier this
summer, BermanBraun inked deals with a number of
notable scribes, including Zak Penn ("X-Men: The Last Stand"), Blake
Herron ("The Bourne Identity") and Tim & Tom Mullen.