Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar nominee Tim Roth has signed on to star in Media Rights Capital’s TV series project Knifeman. David Cronenberg is set to direct the pilot and executive produce the series, which centers on John Tattersall (Roth), a radical, self-educated surgeon who will go to unorthodox lengths to uncover the secrets of the human body. The straight-to-series project, which is expected to be taken out to networks shortly, was written by Emmy-nominated writer-producer Rolin Jones (Boardwalk Empire, Friday Night Lights, Weeds) from a story by Jones and Ron Fitzgerald (Friday Night Lights, Weeds). Jones and Fitzgerald serve as Executive Producers with Cronenberg. Sam Raimi, Josh Donen and Robert Zotnowski of Stars Road are also Executive Producers, with Sentient’s Renee Tab serving as Co-Executive Producer.

This marks British actor Roth’s second U.S.series gig following his starring turn on the Fox drama Lie To Me. For the past year, he was under a deal at 20th Century Fox, which produced Lie To Me. Out of that pact, which just expired, came out a drama project, which Roth and former Lie To Me co-showrunner Alexander Cary recently sold to FX. The untitled project, now in development, was created by the two as a potential starring vehicle for Roth, with 20th TV’s cable division Fox21 producing. The project is still moving forward, with Roth, repped by CAA and attorney Geoff Oblath, and Cary currently writing the script. Given Roth’s commitment to Knifeman, if the FX project goes to pilot, it will be determined who will star, with Roth and Cary remaining executive producers.

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