EXCLUSIVE: Rob Thomas is turning to a great European classic for his next series project. The Veronica Mars creator has teamed with actor-writer Graham Norris for a drama inspired by Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables. The project, from Warner Bros TV and Rob Thomas Prods, has landed at Fox with script commitment plus penalty. Written by Norris, the contemporary take 
is a primetime soap about a brilliant lawyer running a legal exoneration program who fights to evade the consequences of his own unjust conviction many years before. He must navigate high society, continue his mission of saving innocent people, and manage his tumultuous family and romantic life — all while staying one step ahead of a ruthless U.S. Attorney who refuses to let the ghosts of the past die. Thomas is executive producing with frequent collaborators Danielle Stokdyk and Dan Etheridge who all worked with him on UPN’s Veronica Mars, ABC’s Cupid and Starz’s Party Down. Norris serves as supervising producer.
Les Misérables has been made popular in the U.S. and around the world by the success of the eponymous musical and last year’s feature that starred Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway and was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. This is the second classic 19th century French novel to get a contemporary take as a soapy primetime drama. ABC’s Revenge was inspired by Alexadre Dumas’ The Count Of Monte Cristo. UTA-repped Thomas has been busy working on his long-gestating Veronica Mars movie, which recently took off through crowdfunding.
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calling it now: this will be retitled The Miserables and somehow Kyle Bornheimer will be involved to kill it.
Kyle Bornheimer doesn’t kill shows. Being put on at midseason kills shows. Romantically Challenged, Perfect Couples and Family Tools were all midseason replacements. Not that any of them were great shows, but he was never the problem (said problems being writing, Olivia Munn and writing respectively). The other (Worst Week) would still be on if it wasn’t on CBS.
Think about, people like Bornheimer, Josh Cooke, Judy Greer, etc. Almost all of their shows are put on at midseason. Tyler Labine would be the exception to the rule, but Reaper got renewed so is he really a showkiller?
And sometimes it takes a while until you get a hit. Eddie McClintock had 4 straight shows cancelled DURING their first seasons, and then did Warehouse 13.
Sounds like it could be cool. If it’s dark and weird like Veronica I’m in.
This unfortunately sounds terrible. Don’t waste your Veronica Mars goodwill, Rob.
I loved Party Down, and the pilot script he wrote for Little in Common (something got lost in translation when the pilot was made), but really Rob? Les Mis? I expect better of you. Good luck with Blanco County at USA though! I really hope that gets a pilot/series order.
Throw in that he is a ‘deep cover wet work specialist for the CIA’. That will provide lots of tense action stuff, while like Michael Weston our hero is always torn between his CIA masters and a wonderful life full of friends and love. And, of course, the US Attorney chasing Jean Valjean will eventually come to terms when confronted with the other side of the hero…thus, permitting his freedom… and future judging on Idol.
Fox should just crowd-fund this too…
Why should any studio (or filmmaker) have to pay for anything?
These folks are geniuses.
Sounds just as awful as last years film version was.
This has nothing to do with Les Mis that’s just their way of selling it but since they are exploiting my book and my name I demand money. I am an impoverished novelist and I don’t appreciate being exploited. Give me the money you owe me or else.
Si tu es vraiment Victor, au moins écris en français !
fun fact : Rob Thomas will make the modern Les Misérables tv version and Amanda Seyfried (who he gave her tv first great recognition as Lily Kane on Veronica Mars was Causette on the last year movie version..Hollywood small world..lol)
Graham is a talented guy – smart, hard-working, and kind. Can’t wait to see what he and Rob Thomas have cooked up!! Congrats!
Yay! Hooray for Rob! Although, I don’t normally watch soaps and this one doesn’t interest me, so…
I hate to think the financial success of the recent film (despite the sometimes serious gaps in quality) has spawned this new effort to cash in on the famous work.
you’ve been dead for 128 yrs now, you were given state funerals in Paris with approx. 2 million people lining the streets, you’ve made enough money as it is during your lifetime and anne hathaway gave you a shout out 6 months ago during her bafta speech, isn’t it enough?
Or they could just do reruns of Burn Notice – Save a lot of money.
As long as they acknowledge Enjolras’s sexuality, I’m in.
Same. And hopeful they won’t completely butcher Grantaire.
It’s apparently only ‘loosely based’ anyway, so I doubt the majority of the Amis will be in it, but if they are, then they hopefully will not make Jehan a happy poet, will not make Joly comic relief and will show the Musichetta/Joly/Bahorel relationship, considering it is canon. Also, please no cishet white cast?
I think you mean Musichetta/Joly/Bossuet there
What sexuality?? He was asexual, quite literally.
Translation: Another reboot of THE FUGITIVE.
Please No.
Graham is a brilliant writer and a tremendous talent. This will be huge.
Graham is a brilliant writer and tremendous talent. This will be huge.
“He must navigate high society, continue his mission of saving innocent people, and manage his tumultuous family and romantic life”. That’s kind of not what Les Mis is about?
Don’t you understand? This is a modern day contemporary update of Les Mis. It’s exactly the same but it takes place here and now in America. And you are under arrest for not being supportive of this show.
Think this was really the basis of THE FUGITIVE!!!
*whispers* I hope they’ll pair up Enjolras and Eponine.
As a die-hard Les Mis fan, I am extremely skeptical. I foresee this thing to either be a flop, or have next to nothing in common with the original story. I understand Graham is very talented, but I just can’t see it being a success.
Enjolras and Eponine ? A die-hard Les Mis fan ? The characters don’t even MEET wow nutter
“He must navigate high society, continue his mission of saving innocent people, and manage his tumultuous family and romantic life — all while staying one step ahead of a ruthless U.S. Attorney who refuses to let the ghosts of the past die.”
I’m guessing it’s very, very loosely inspired by the original novel.
And I’m scared to see what this incarnation of “Javert” will be like, media often makes a huge mess of his character.
Knowing me, I’ll probably check it out due to curiosity though. And that’s just what they want, I’m sure.
Personally, I’m dreading either how the show will screw it up by hanging it on a title that it ends up being nothing like just to take advantage of the name recognition (Hollywood’s never ever done that before *sarcasm*) OR how fans of the musical will whine because it isn’t like that when they never said it was based on the stage version. Anybody who says “fan of Les Mis” generally means they expect to hear the people sing as it were.
We could always just have a drinking game of taking a shot whenever they mess up the characters
Grantaire, put the bottle down.
I’m curious to see how far they go with the adaptation. Or are they just using the idea of an ex-convict trying to start a new life and a man of the law trying to stop him, and that’s all they’re taking from the book? Will they keep in Valjean’s spirituality? Will Cosette and Marius be involved? Will this ever even get beyond the pilot stage? Stay tuned…
As long as they give us some hot student revolutionaries, I’m in!
An unrequited bromance between Grantaire and Enjolras would be a nice bonus…