Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: A drama series adaptation of the 2010 Australian feature Animal Kingdom has landed at Showtime, with John Wells executive producing and Jonathan Lisco writing/executive producing. The project, now in development, is a crime drama exploring the tense battle between a criminal family and the police, and the ordinary lives caught in the middle. John Wells Prods and Warner Bros TV are producing, with Lisco, Wells and Andrew Stearn executive producing alongside the movie’s writer-director David Michôd and producer Liz Watts. Animal Kingdom expands Wells’ relationship with Showtime, where he executive produces drama series Shameless, also an adaptation of a foreign property — the British series of the same name — and also produced by John Wells Prods and WBTV. K-Ville creator Lisco, repped by UTA, has an existing relationship with Wells and WBTV; he is an executive producer on their TNT cop drama Southland.

The 2010 movie was inspired by Melbourne’s infamous Pettingill crime family headed by matriarch Kath Pettingill. Jacki Weaver, who played a fictionalized version of Pettingill, earned a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role. Animal Kingdom premiered in the U.S. at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival where it won the World Cinema Jury Prize. Here is a trailer for those who haven’t seen it:

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