NBC Braces For U.S. Version Of UK Drama ‘Collision’; Eleventh Hour Developing

Originally aired as a five-part event series, Collision was a big hit for ITV in 2009. Created by Anthony Horowitz (Foyle’s War), a U.S. version is now being developed by London-based Eleventh Hour Films for NBC in partnership with TriStar Television. Horowitz will also showrun the American take, partnering with Carol Mendelsohn (CSI) alongside Julie Weitz, for Carol Mendelsohn Productions. Horowitz is currently writing the first two episodes of a proposed 10-episode order. If it gets a greenlight, the show will go straight to series.

Collision drew an average 7M viewers during its 2009 run which was stripped over one week. The drama tells the story of a group of strangers whose lives are forever changed following a major road accident. Beyond the crumpled cars are invisible dramas, and when the police start their investigation they find themselves drawn into many different and dangerous worlds including government cover-ups, smuggling, torn relationships and murder. It also aired Stateside on PBS.

Green, who will continue as an active producer on the U.S. series, said, “We are delighted to now be working on a local version for NBC as it was always Anthony and my dream that the drama should exist on a larger scale and as a longer length series. This is a country where it is routine to use your car to get everywhere – and never give it a second thought. The drama has universal, relatable characters and fuses together multiple genres.”

Suzanne Patmore Gibbs is executive on behalf of TriStar TV with Quinn Taylor as NBC’s EVP on the series. The deal was brokered by executive producer Nicole Finnan at Eleventh Hour working with WME.

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