US remake for Davis's dark comedy

Nighty Night could be the next British comedy hit to be remade for American audiences.

Darren Star, the man behind Sex and the City, has been commissioned write and produce a pilot version of Julia Davis’ dark comedy for cable channel Showtime.

The original British version has been airing on women's channel Oxygen in the US, and now Steve Coogan’s production company Baby Cow is working with Sony Pictures on the new American version.

Sony’s Zack Van Amburg described Nighty Night as Fatal Attraction-style black comedy ‘with a very untraditional lead’ in Julia Davis’s scheming Jill.

‘She's an anti-hero protagonist, and Darren is eager to tap into that,’ he told Hollywood trade magazine Variety.

Executives hope the show will follow the success of the American version of The Office which, after an unsure start, is now a  genuine hit.

Its star Steve Carell will reportedly in line to double his salary to around £95,000 an episode when the third series goes into production, given the show’s success.

Published: 13 Jun 2006