Fox orders pilot episode

America’s Fox network is to make its own version of Spaced.

Adam Barr, who previously worked on Will & Grace, will be adapting the Simon Pegg house-share sitcom for American audiences.

The show was picked up by US producers Wonderland Sound and Vision after the company’s president, Peter Johnson, was told about the show by someone in a comic-book store.

As a fan of Pegg’s Shaun of the Dead film, he decided he wanted the rights – and now Fox has ordered a pilot episode.

The show will be co-produced by Britain’s Granada, which holds rights to the format.

How much Pegg and co-creators Jessica Hynes (nee Stephenson) and Edgar Wright will be involved in the US version is unclear. But Johnson told Hollywood trade magazine Variety it would be similar to NBC's adaptation of The Office, where Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant had an advisory ‘executive producer’ role.

Spaced ran for 14 episodes over two series on Channel 4, in 1999 and 2001.

Published: 30 Oct 2007