Showdog Studio is launching three ’80s-set espionage shows within the same universe, with former covert operatives Nick Brokhausen and Jeff Miller joining as consultants, Variety can exclusively reveal.
The three projects are “The Puppet,” “American Ronin” and “The Bay Club.” “The Puppet” is described as a drama/thriller, while The procedural “American Ronin” tells the true story of two veterans disillusioned by the justice system. And “The Bay Club” is described as a “comedy of errors” about a bartender who gets accused of being a spy.
Full loglines for the shows can be seen below.
“We are excited about participating in these projects,” Brokhausen and Miller said in a joint statement. “The careers we chose and the lives we led have been depicted in dozens of movies and television shows, but rarely have they even come close to the truth. We look forward especially to ‘American Ronin’ presenting an unvarnished and accurate portrayal of what life in the shadows really looks like. You can believe us when we say no one has ever seen anything like it before.”
Howard Klausner (“Reagan”) will also be joining Showdog Studio as creative director and is attached to “American Ronin” as executive producer and “The Bay Club” as executive producer/showrunner.
Klausner said in a statement: “I am excited and inspired, joining up with John Attard and Showdog Studio. This is a truly innovative company at the leading edge of creative technology, a deep well of great content, and a great roster of talent working under one roof.”
Each series will run from eight to ten episodes, with plans to film concurrently. “The Puppet” is from a story by Nancy Solomon and a script by Solomon and Jen Golum. “American Ronin” is based on the book “Vagabonds” by Brokhausen and Miller.
“This is a big, ambitious project, and in order to be successful, it’s essential that we assemble the right talent. We now have the pieces in place to bring this multi-genre espionage universe to life with three series that have tremendous potential as streaming or network shows,” said Showdog founder John Attard. “Nick and Jeff bring more than 100 years of real-life experience to the team; with ‘Reagan’ starring Dennis Quaid, Howie Klausner produced the perfect case study to show that there is strong interest in this era of American and world history; and Nancy and Jen have developed an exciting, smart concept that we believe can be the next big spy thriller.”
Showdog is represented by Gersh.
Series Info
–In “The Puppet,” young, beautiful and popular U.S. Senator Lily Longhorn – frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election – is a fraud, an Iranian mole and spy who now wants out … but she’s trapped, manipulated by her cruel Russian handler.
–“American Ronin” (formerly “Plan B”) is based on a true story of two veterans and former (or are they?) covert operatives (Brockhausen and Miller) and their book “Vagabonds.” Disillusioned by a justice system that fails to deliver, they become for-hire operatives tackling high-stakes, high-profile missions beyond government reach.
–“Bay Club” is set in Newport Beach, CA, in the 1960s through 1980s, with interlinked storylines, and is a dramatic … comedy of errors. Imagine being a conspiracy theorist, and then finding out that everything you believe is actually true? The series follows a man who becomes a bartender at the titular Bay Club – a warren of the ultra-wealthy, politicians, movie stars and spies – only to feel trapped, looking to leave and avoid attracting additional danger. Of course, as members start to think that the bartender is actually a spy, he finds himself being the biggest conspiracy theory in the club.
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