Political thriller series to air on AMC

American Movie Classics (AMC) has okayed 12 episodes of "Rubicon," a new political thriller series from Warner Horizon TV starring James Badge Dale and Miranda Richardson.

A Variety article reports, "Series is created and exec produced by Jason Horwitch, who will serve as showrunner. 'Sopranos' and 'Six Feet Under' alum Allen Coulter helmed the pilot."

"The pilot is beautifully done and we are very, very excited to move forward with the series," said Joel Stillerman, AMC's senior veep of programming and production.

The series centers on an analyst at a think tank, played by Dale, whose work unearths an unfolding global conspiracy. The idea for the project stemmed from conspiracy theory films like the 1974 Warren Beatty movie, "The Parallax View," and the 1975 Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway film, "Three Days of the Condor."

The Variety article goes on to say, "'Rubicon' pilot was shot earlier this year in Gotham. It's expected that production will remain in Gotham. AMC is targeting a 2010 preem date for the series, which will join 'Mad Men' and 'Breaking Bad' on the cabler's roster of original drama skeins."

Besides Dale and Richardson, the cast of "Rubicon" includes Lili Taylor, Dallas Roberts and Peter Gerety. Taylor's credits include being a cast member of the HBO series, "Six Feet Under," and the 1988 Julia Roberts film, "Mystic Pizza." Meanwhile, Dallas Roberts's credits include appearances on Showtime's "The L Word" and starring in the Johnny Cash biopic, "Walk the Line," which earned Reese Witherspoon an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Cash's wife, June Carter.