In a competitive situation, NBC is set to develop a drama series executive produced by best-selling author Patricia Cornwell and Matt Tolmach.
The project is titled “Red Stick.” Based on an original character created by Cornwell, it follows Dr. Annie Dodge, who is summoned from New York to her hometown of Baton Rouge, La., after the sudden death of her father, the city’s beloved coroner. Now, as she’s mourning the loss of her childhood hero, Annie finds herself reluctantly stepping into her father’s role to solve an ongoing murder while navigating the complicated waters of Bayou politics, Southern hospitality, and a simmering past romance. NBC has given the project a script commitment with a penalty attached.
Along with Cornwell, Samantha Humphrey will executive produce in addition to serving as writer and showrunner. Matt Tolmach and David Manpearl will also executive produce via Matt Tolmach Productions, with Sony Pictures Television producing.
Cornwell is known for her crime novels, particularly the Kay Scarpetta series. To date, she has published two dozen novels in that series in addition to her other works. She has sold more than 100 million books worldwide. She is repped by UTA.
Humphrey’s previous writing credits include the CBS reboot of “S.W.A.T.,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “Body of Proof,” and “CSI: New York.” She is repped by UTA and Hansen Jacobson.
Tolmach was previously the co-president of Columbia Pictures before transitioning to a producing role. Since then, he has produced hit films for the studio like “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and its upcoming sequel, “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” and “Venom.” He is currently in pre-production on the “Morbius” movie. He is repped by UTA for television and Hansen Jacobson.