Alex Proyas To Produce & Direct ABC Drama Project From ‘Eureka’ Co-Creator

EXCLUSIVE: In his first foray into network television, Alex Proyas, director of such features as I, Robot, The Crow, and Dark City, is set to direct and executive produce Evolve, a drama project for ABC written and executive produced by Jaime Paglia, co-creator/executive producer of Syfy’s long-running series Eureka. Paglia’s sci-fi background will come in handy for Evolve, which is based on the Toxic City trilogy of novels by British Fantasy Award- and Bram Stoker Award-winning author Tim Lebbon. Evolve is set two years after a mysterious biological agent is released over Los Angeles when the city is still deemed too toxic to inhabit and remains sealed off from the rest of society. A small group of ordinary citizens outside the quarantined zone, who do not believe the government’s story, embark on a mission to uncover the truth of what happened to their family members who were inside the affected area. What they discover is a world where once-ordinary humans now have extraordinary abilities and powerful government forces seek to destroy them.

ABC Studios is producing Evolve, with Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Michael Prevett and Jeremy Bell of the Gotham Group executive producing through the company’s two-year first-look deal at the studio. The first book in the Toxic City trilogy, London Eye, was published this month by PYR. Proyas and Gotham Group are repped by CAA; Paglia by Paradigm and attorney Ron Levin; Lebbon by the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.

Related stories

Comedy From ‘Hangover’ Writers Jon Lucas And Scott Moore Lands At ABC As Put Pilot

Legal Drama From ‘House’ Creator David Shore Lands At ABC With Pilot Production Commitment At ABC

Adam F. Goldberg ’80s Comedy Moves From Fox To ABC With Production Commitment

Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter