JJ Abrams teams with "One Tree Hill" creator for "Maine" at The CW

[Sawyer]

http://www.deadline.com/2011/12/the...ams-oth-creator-mark-schwahn-for-hotel-drama/

The CW Teams With J.J. Abrams & ‘OTH’ Creator Mark Schwahn For Hotel Drama
By NELLIE ANDREEVA

EXCLUSIVE: J.J. Abrams is headed to the CW. In his first stint at the 5-year-old network, the top writer-producer-director has teamed up with Mark Schwahn, creator/executive producer/showrunner of the CW’s long-running drama One Tree Hill. The power pair has sold a hotel drama to the CW, which will instantly become one of the the network’s highest-profile projects this development season. Schwahn will write the show, tentatively titled Maine, which is set at an inn in Maine and revolves around the staff and the inn’s guests. Abrams and Schwahn will executive produce with Bryan Burk for Warner Bros TV, Abrams’ studio-based Bad Robot and Schwahn’s Mastermind Laboratories. In scope, the character-based drama, which has received a script commitment, harkens to Schwahn’s OTH, which will end its nine-year run early next year, and Abrams’ Felicity. This also marks a homecoming of sorts for Abrams, who started his TV career on the CW predecessor the WB with Felicity. For Schwahn, the project stems from a script deal with WBTV.

The deal reunites Abrams with the CW president Mark Pedowitz and EVP Development Thom Sherman, who worked with Abrams at ABC and ABC Studios. Most recently, Pedowitz was president of ABC Studios where Abrams was under an overall deal before moving to WBTV in 2006, and Sherman ran Abrams’ production company Bad Robot for two years before joining the CW, also in 2006. If the project goes to series, it will make for a seamless transition for WME-repped Schwahn, who is wrapping the ninth and final season of One Tree Hill. He is the second creator of a long-running, hit CW series to be writing a high-profile new project for the network; Supernatural creator Eric Kripke is adapting DC Comic Deadman. Coincidentally, Schwahn and Kripke have projects with Abrams this year. Beside the CW hotel drama, Bad Robot’s other project in contention for next fall is Revolution, an epic adventure thriller at NBC penned by Kripke that has a pilot production commitment.

I've been wondering what Schwann would do when One Tree Hill wrapped. But I never in a million years thought that it would be a project with JJ Abrams. Consider me interested.

I just pray this doesn't go the way of Undercovers.

 

[Prison Mike]

Not too excited about this project...

 

[Sawyer]

It's JJ. In JJ I trust.


Until he drops a turd like Undercovers on me, that is.

 

[Prison Mike]

JJ should stick with sci-fi/supernatural stuff.

 

[Hush]

Why he got his start with Felicity which was pretty damn good for a while. He knows relationships just as well as he knows sci-Fi/fantasy.

 

[Sawyer]

Exactly.

I'm intrigued for the CW. JJ is a big name. The network needs star power. JJ is star power. Unless the pilot is utter ****, I'm betting this gets picked up.

I think it really goes to show how much of a better influence Mark Pedowitz is for this network than Ostroff was. They never could've roped in someone like JJ when she was in charge. ****, she probably wouldn't have even wanted him. She probably would've passed it over for a damn Gossip Girl spinoff.

 

[Sith Scotti]

EH Js is putting hid name on everything these days . I can imagine he has limited input on this from a creative stand point

 

[Sawyer]

EH JJ is putting hid name on everything these days . I can imagine he has limited input on this from a creative stand point

Not really.

 

[Prison Mike]

Character based dramas are interesting to me only within a sci-fi/supernatural setting. This show seems like a full on drama which I've seen enough of. And I've never been a big fan of Felicity anyway.

 

[chaseter]

JJ is starting to ruin his name.

 

[Sith Scotti]

Not really.

Person of Interest , the prison show , Twera Nova , this ....


There is no way he has a lot of input on all these shows

 

[Sawyer]

Person of Interest , the prison show , Twera Nova , this ....


There is no way he has a lot of input on all these shows

JJ has nothing to do with Terra Nova. That's Spielberg.

 

[Hush]

JJ is starting to ruin his name.

In what possible way?

 

[Sawyer]

Because he should be doing nothing but lock himself away so he can write up a LOST spinoff or find a way to give us instant gratification in regard to a Star Trek sequel, of course.

 

[Hush]

How could i be so silly.

 

[Sawyer]

The thing about this is, that description was pretty damn vague. A show set at an inn in Maine? Well, okay. By that token, American Horror Story could've been described as a drama about a family moving into a house in Los Angeles. Now, maybe it's just my love for the works of Stephen King shining through, but Maine seems ripe for supernatural **** to take place. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some supernatural element, in addition to the character drama.

 

[Prison Mike]

If there was some supernatural element to this show, they would have announced it already. This is a straight up drama akin to Gilmore Girls, IMO. And Abrams name alone isn't an automatic watch for me anymore (just look at Undercovers).

 

[Sawyer]

If there was some supernatural element to this show, they would have announced it already. This is a straight up drama akin to Gilmore Girls, IMO. And Abrams name alone isn't an automatic watch for me anymore (just look at Undercovers).

Not necessarily. The thing is at a script stage. It hasn't even gotten a pilot committment yet.

 

[Prison Mike]

Schwann is writing it. Yeah, it's a straight up drama.

 

[Sawyer]

And, as many have said before, JJ began on Felicity. And Kevin Williamson began on Dawson's Creek. And Joss Whedon began on ****ing Roseanne!!!

 

[Prison Mike]

We'll see...we'll see...

 

[Sawyer]

We shall indeed...... we shall indeed.

 

[Sawyer]

JJ speaks...

And, you’re also developing a pilot with Mark Schwahn (tentatively titled Maine, and revolving around the staff and guests at an inn there)?

ABRAMS: He’s also writing, but I haven’t seen a draft of that. It is, as of yet, unread, since he hasn’t turned it in yet, but I’m loving working with him.

What made you want to work with him?

ABRAMS: I was very excited about the idea of working on a show that felt more in the universe of Felicity. This show felt like it was going back to that kind of a tenor and mood. He has had One Tree Hill on for 43 years, so it was good timing to find someone who was looking for another show and who was already very familiar with that kind of A+ level, soap opera type show. That’s what we tried to do with Felicity.

I'm still waiting for word on Revolution. As someone who's stuck with OTH through the good times and the bad, a JJ/Schwahn team-up is semi-exciting, but JJ/Kripke is just ****ing orgasmic!

 

[chaseter]

JJ...what are you doing? You are turning into Spielberg.

 

[Doctor Jones]

If by turning into Spielberg you mean a great story teller than he already is than yes.