According to Deadline, CBS has decided not to go through with David E. Kelley’s planned TV adaptation of Michael Connelly’s bestseller, The Lincoln Lawyer. The news comes as a shock, as the series had a massive series production commitment. The trade states: “no force majeure has not been invoked yet but the two sides are yet to get into the nitty-gritty of settling the big series penalty.”
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The series was in its final stages of pre-production when all work on CBS pilots was shut down on Friday, March 13 due to the coronavirus. Casting was nearly complete as well with Logan Marshall-Green set to star in the series after a lengthy negotiation process.
Nonetheless, work continued on the show, mainly via executive producer/showrunner Ted Humphrey, who opened a writers room with three other writers and effectively turned in two scripts to the network before the plug was pulled. A+E Studios was even working on a possible production schedule designed for when production would eventually commence.
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Deadline also notes CBS will “step up its series pickup, renewal and cancelation activity next week as it prepares for the network’s May 13 video Upfront special that will replace its upfront presentation this year.”
The Lincoln Lawyer revolves around Mickey Haller, an iconoclastic idealist who runs his law practice out of the back of his Lincoln town car as he takes on cases big and small across L.A. The book was originally adapted into a movie in 2011, starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey.
