'Entourage' producers develop new HBO comedy

Exclu by James Hibberd & Matthew Belloni: HBO is developing a new female-centric comedy from the makers of "Entourage."

Executive producers Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson of "Leverage" are near a deal with the premium network for a show about a group of female friends working and finding romance in Los Angeles.

The project has the two power producers teaming with newcomers Leah Rachel and Emily Montague, who developed the concept with Rachel writing.

Though it would be easy to assume the show is a female version of "Entourage," sources say the script is still evolving and will not be as Hollywood-centric as the long-running hit comedy, nor even as much as its own original conception.*

HBO is developing several comedy projects in various stages, including James Gandolfini's American version of French-Canadian series "Taxi 0-22" and the "Tilda" pilot about a Hollywood blogger.

Wahlberg, Levinson and Rachel are repped by WME, with Wahlberg managed by Leverage and Rachel by manager Dan Farah and attorney Greg Slewett.

*The initial working title was actually "Starfuckers" (!), a moniker that's since
been ruled out