'10 Commandments' TV Series - Directors of 'The Butler,' 'Arrested Development,' and 'Good Will Hunting' Sign Up for Project
WGN America has announced the first five directors for a 10-part television series of modern interpretations of the Ten Commandments.
Lee Daniels (The Butler), Michael Cera (Arrested Development), Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting), Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street) and Jim Sheridan (In America), will all take turns giving their own interpretation of a particular commandment with the other directors to be announced at a later date.
Produced by Bruce Cohen (Silver Linings Playbook) and Bob Weinstein (Lord of the Rings), the show comes at a time when the cable network has begun expanding into original scripted programming. Currently, the channel plays host to re-runs of "30 Rock," "Parks and Recreation," and "Law and Order."
Weistein and Cohen said that the directors were picked for their original and distinct directing styles.
"Each of these directors is acclaimed for their own unique brand of style and genre, so it's clear that we can expect 10 wildly different episodes from this series," Weinstein said as reported The Hollywood Reporter.
"With each helmer choosing his or her own creative team, it will be exciting to see their visions come together," said Cohen.
WGN President and GM Matt Cherniss has said that he saw the project as helping the channel - whose tagline is currently, "Drama. Comedy. Sports" - become a "destination network."
"We are thrilled and honored to have filmmakers of this caliber as a part of this ambitious project, and thank Bruce Cohen and The Weinstein Co. for bringing this diverse group of directors together. The unique structure of the Ten Commandments project and the stature of directors involved reflects the creative and bold approach to quality programming that we aspire to as we move toward making WGN America a destination network. We look forward to seeing what each of these talented filmmakers has in store for the audience," Cherniss said in a statement.