Laurel and Hardy TV biopic being developed by BBC, TWC

A 90-minuted TV biopic, Stan and Ollie, about Laurel and Hardy is in development with The Weinstein Company and BBC involved.

According to Deadline, Philomena co-writer Jeff Pope has signed on to write the drama.

TWC will be again working alongside the BBC and Lookout Point as TWC continues to expand into European TV. They are already teaming up for a six-part adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War And Peace.

The 90-minute film will follow Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel's 1953 UK tour as the two were struggling with personal issues and waning success after making 106 movies together. The tour helped Laurel and Hardy, though Hardy suffered a heart attack and Laurel refused to perform on his own. Hardy managed to recover enough to resume a few of the shows on the tour, but passed away shortly after the tour was finished.

BBC's controller of comedy commissioning, Shane Allen, said Stan and Ollie would be a "love letter to two pioneers and enduring giants of screen comedy," reports BBC News.

Allen added that the movie will "beautifully" show off the pair's "deep emotional bond ... with great insight and heart."

image: Amazon