AMC lands hot “Dietland” drama project

PanARMENIAN.Net - After a spirited bidding among a half-dozen outlets, AMC has landed the TV adaptation of the novel “Dietland” from showrunner Marti Noxon and Skydance Television, Variety reports.

The deal calls for AMC to assemble a writers room for Noxon and a staff to develop several scripts with the goal of bypassing a pilot and going straight to series next year. The project garnered bigger commitments from other outlets, but Noxon and Skydance opted for AMC because of the nature of the material and the enthusiasm shown by the cabler’s development team.

Noxon herself battled hard to secure the rights to the book, which were pursued by multiple producers.

“Dietland,” based on the 2015 novel by Sarai Walker, is set against the backdrop of the beauty industry, exploding society’s obsession with weight loss and beauty. The series is envisoned as a mix of character drama and revenge fantasy with a feminist perspective. The project is the first to come from the deal that Noxon set earlier this year at Skydance for her Tiny Pyro banner.

Noxon will write and exec produce with Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross, Tiny Pyro’s Maria Grasso as well as Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn of Mockingbird Pictures.

A prolific writer-producer, Noxon at present is juggling showrunner duties on the Bravo series “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce” and a high-profile HBO development project in “Sharp Objects.” She was co-creator and showrunner of the first season of Lifetime’s “Unreal.” Earlier this year, Noxon directed her first movie, “To the Bone,” which lensed in Los Angeles with stars Lily Collins, Alex Sharp and Keanu Reeves. She also penned the script.

Noxon previously worked at AMC during her tenure on “Mad Men.”