Robert De Niro, Richard Price sell cop drama to CBS

Exclu: Actor Robert De Niro and gritty crime writer Richard Price are teaming for a new police drama at CBS. 

The duo have made a script deal with the network for "Rookies," about a team of six freshman cops who are sent into high-crime trouble spots.

De Niro's Tribeca Productions and CBS TV Studios is set to produce the drama. Both De Niro and Price are executive producers, along with Jane Rosenthal.

Price is best known to TV crime fans for his work on HBO's "The Wire," though also wrote films such as "The Color of Money," "Ransom" and "Clockers" (based on his novel). Price and De Niro previously teamed on the film "Mad Dog & Glory."

The project is part of Tribeca's two-year-old overall deal with CBS TV Studios. Last year, the company developed a drama series at Showtime.

The deal gives CBS another potential crime procedural to add to its successful lineup of shows like "Criminal Minds" and "The Mentalist." Price's usual street-savvy style is more intense than typical CBS fare, which could bring some edge to the network.