Yes, ABC just greenlit a TV pilot based on a ride at Disneyland.
“Big Thunder,” a Western drama inspired by Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad coaster, has been ordered to pilot by the network along with three other new series. You can find a brief rundown of each below.
– “Big Thunder”: Scripted by Jason Fuchs (“Ice Age: Continental Drift”), “Thunder”‘s plot centers on a New York doctor in the 19th century who moves with his family to the titular mining town. Run as it is by a shady tycoon, not everything, of course, is what it appears to be. Fuchs will executive-produce the pilot alongside “Fast Five” screenwriter Chris Morgan.
– “Murder in Manhattan”: An hourlong sleuth dramedy that focuses on an amateur mother-daughter investigative team working in the Big Apple. Writer Maria Maggenti (“Monte Carlo”) will executive-produce with Ryan Reynolds, Allan Loeb, Jonathan Komack Martin and Steven Pearl.
– “Reckless”: Written by Chris Black (“Mad Men”), who will executive-produce alongside “Casino Royale” director Martin Campbell, the thriller focuses on a resourceful man who travels overseas to rescue his wife after she is unjustly imprisoned following a political uprising.
– “Gothica”: A sexy Gothic soap opera that incorporates classic literary horror characters including Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and Dorian Gray into a modern-day storyline. The Matt Lopez-penned drama comes from the Mark Gordon Company (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Criminal Minds”).
Do any of the above pilots strike your fancy? Let us know in the comments.