Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: The CW is boosting its sci-fi cred with Oxygen, an alien drama in the vein of District 9. It hails from Space Floor TV’s Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg and Olé’s Richard Shepard, Sean Furst and Bryan Furst.

Written by Meredith Averill (The Good Wife) based on a format developed by Daniel Gutman of Pow Wow and Spanish producer Isla Producciones, Oxygen follows a high school pilot program, the first attempt to integrate a group of humanoid aliens stranded on earth who until now have been living in forced segregation. The program is complicated by the prejudices and competing agendas on all sides, and could be saved or destroyed by a burgeoning romance between a human girl and alien boy.

CBS Studios, where Olé is under an overall deal, will produce. The  studio reached out to the Space Floor trio to supervise and executive produce the pilot. It reunites Appelbaum, Nemec and Rosenberg with Averill, a former Space Floor assistant. She has been on the CBS Studios-produced The Good Wife for three seasons, working her way to producer level. Oxygen also reunites Appelbaum, Nemec and Rosenberg with the network’s top programming executives, Mark Pedowitz and Thom Sherman, with whom the trio worked at ABC/ABC Studios. Most of Space Floor TV’s projects have been at ABC and ABC Studios where the trio developed-created three series, October Road, Happy Town and Life On Mars. In features, Appelbaum and Nemec produced Mission Impossible 4 and are currently writing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Paramount. Rosenberg recently sold a pitch for $1M to Disney and has The Hauntrepreneur at Paramount.

This is Olé’s second sale this season. The company recently set up Boiling Point, written by Elementary executive producer Craig Sweeny, also to the CW. Additionally, Shepard recently directed the pilot for CBS’ new drama series Golden Boy, which is produced by Warner Bros. TV. He is in prep on indie Dom Hemingway.  WME reps all parties.

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