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Kevin Costner may be headed to Amazon.
The two-time Oscar winner is in negotiations to star in the company’s new legal drama from David E. Kelley, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Sources tell THR that should the deal work out, The Trial would get a straight to series order and forgo the traditional pilot process.
The Trial centers on Billy McBride (Costner), a once respectable lawyer who was ousted from the high-profile firm he co-founded. Billy now spends his days getting drunk, with the occasional case tossed his way by his ex-wife. However, Billy is reinvigorated professionally when a young lawyer who has just been fired from his old firm brings him a wrongful death case that pits him against the head of his former firm.
Written by Kelley, the project would mark Amazon’s first straight to series order. The company has traditionally made all pilots available to customers to watch and provide feedback on which ones they want to see turned into series. Costner would also executive produce. David Semel (Ally McBeal, Dawson’s Creek, American Dreams, Madam Secretary) is rumored to direct the pilot.
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This would mark Costner’s first-ever series regular role. In addition to his Emmy-winning starring role in History’s Hatfield & McCoys miniseries, Costner has just one other TV credit to his name.
The Trial would also be a homecoming of sorts for Kelley, who made a name from himself writing legal shows including L.A Law, Ally McBeal, The Practice and spinoff Boston Legal. Kelley, whose recent credits include CBS’ The Crazy Ones and NBC’s Harry’s Law, is currently not affiliated with any studio.
Kelley is also working on a new limited series for HBO — an adaptation of the hit novel Big Little Lies starring A-listers Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.
Thanks to the platform’s growing success with original series, most notably Golden Globe winner Transparent, Amazon has started to lure bigger names including Carlton Cuse, Shawn Ryan, Ridley Scott and Woody Allen.
The Trial would join the company’s growing stable of original series including comedies Transparent, Alpha House, Mozart In the Jungle and drama Bosch.
Costner is repped by WME, Zero Gravity Management and Hirsch Wallerstein. Kelley is repped by CAA and Gendler & Kelly.
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