Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Coming up on Starz — another action drama series from Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, executive producers of the pay cable network’s breakout hit Spartacus: Blood and Sand and its offshoot Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. I hear Starz has greenlighted to series Noir, a live-action adaptation of the 2001 Japanese anime series.

The project, which had been in development at the network since last fall, follows two female assassins who team up to fight against a secret society. After discovering they’re mysteriously linked, the two, under the Noir moniker, have to work together until they get answers about why and how they are connected — or until one of them kills the other. Steven Lightfoot (Criminal Justice) wrote the adaptation and will executive produce the series with Raimi, Tapert, fellow Spartacus exec producer Joshua Donen as well as Bill Hamm.

Noir had been gathering momentum over the past few weeks, with producers sending out feelers about assembling a small writers room for the potential series. The number of episodes for Noir is yet to be determined, but Starz’s new shows usually get straight-to-series orders of 8 to 10 episodes. At the network, Noir joins the upcoming Chicago mayor drama Boss starring Kelsey Grammer and 1960s Miami drama Magic City. Meanwhile, costume drama Camelot is still awaiting word on its future after completing its freshman run last week.

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