CBS Lands Jerry Weintraub Drama Project 'The Producer' (Exclusive)

Prolific producer Jerry Weintraub is venturing into series television.

The network has ordered a script for The Producer, a period project set in the fictional world of evening news.

PHOTOS: CBS' New Season TV Shows: 'Person of Interest,' 'A Gifted Man' and More

Rick Dresser (The Job) will write and executive produce the drama, which hails from Warner Bros. Television. The former United Artists chairman will serve as a nonwriting executive producer on the project, a rare foray for him into the primetime series business. 

PROFILE: Producer Jerry Weintraub

The news comes six months after HBO aired a doucmentary, His Way, with Weintraub as its subject. The small sceen entry chronicled his rise from music manager (his client list included Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, Led Zeppelin and John Denver) to promoter to film producer.  

TV REVIEW: 'His Way'

On the feature side, Weintraub’s producing credits include the George Clooney-fronted Ocean’s franchise, The Firm and the original Karate Kid films (and more recent reboot). He has overseen more than 100 TV specials, including Neil Diamond: I’m Glad You’re Here With Me Tonight. 

Weintraub, with Vanity Fair scribe Rich Cohen, published his memoir, When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead: Useful Stories for a Persuasive Man, last year.

STORY: Jerry Weintraub Releases Memoir

Aaron Sorkin’s tentartively titled HBO drama, More as This Story Develops, which was picked up to series last month, will also explore the similarly themed cable news world.