E! is going forward with The Royals, which will be its first scripted series. The project is not about the Lorde song, but actually a drama about a modern British royal family dealing with private crises in the public eye.
The hour-long drama, produced by Lionsgate, will star Elizabeth Hurley, notes TheWrap. It was written by Mark Schwahn (One Tree Hill), who is also directing. The executive producers include Schwahn, Brian Robbins and Joe Davola (Smallville, One Tree Hill).
According to Deadline, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment chief Bonnie Hammer has been interested in launching scripted shows on the company’s cable reality TV networks. Bravo is also poised to have its own scripted show, titled Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce.
“This is a big idea and Mark, Brian, Joe and the Lionsgate team delivered,” E! senior vice president of scripting programming, Kevin Plunkett, said in a statement.
In addition to Hurley, who plays a Queen, the cast also includes William Moseley, Alexandra Park and Vincent Regan. It was shot on location in the U.K.
The Royals will premiere in 2015.
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