John Ridley will write the script for ABC’s American Crime alongside Michael McDonald as executive producer.
After John Ridley took home the Golden Globe for the best drama feature on Sunday, the screenwriter has landed a pilot order at ABC, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter.
American Crime centers on the personal lives of the people involved in a racially charged trial as their worlds turn upside down. Ridley will writer the script and will executive produce alongside producer Michael McDonald, the former ABC Studios head of drama.
The project marks Ridley’s return to TV after HBO’s drama Da Brick ended and five years after The Wanda Sykes Show ended its run. For ABC, this is the fourth drama pilot order this season alongside the thriller How to Get Away with Murder, the murder drama Sea of Fire and the murder mystery, Secrets & Lies.
John Ridley has in the works a rewrite for Ben-Hur for MGM. His credits include the Barbershop TV series and Third Watch.