TNT Orders 'L.A. Noir' Pilot From Exec Producer Frank Darabont

Former 'Walking Dead' showrunner to write, direct drama pilot based on Buntin's book

By Lindsay Rubino -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/9/2012 4:46:11 PM

TNT has ordered a pilot for a new drama series, L.A. Noir, executive produced by former The Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont.

The show, from TNT Original Productions, is based on John Buntin's book L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City and recounts the city's conflict with mobster Mickey Cohen.

Darabont, who was ousted from AMC's zombie hit in July 2011, will write and direct the pilot. Michael De Luca and Elliot Webb serve as executive producers alongside Darabont, with Michael De Luca Production's Alissa Phillips as co-executive producer.

"The story of L.A. Noir is inspired by an incredibly dramatic period in the history of Los Angeles," said Michael Wright, executive VP, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "This project is a sweeping tale of the battle for the soul of the city that was waged between the forces of the LAPD and the West Coast mob. We're thrilled to be working with Frank Darabont and Michael De Luca, two award-winning storytellers behind some of the most entertaining films of the past two decades, as they to bring this intense and exciting crime-drama to TNT."