Showtime developing 'In the Heat of the Night' series with Tate Taylor

Showtime is looking to add a little heat to its nighttime lineup.

The premium network and MGM Television have begun developing a new TV project based on the 1967 film In the Heat of the Night, EW has confirmed. Written and directed by The Help‘s Tate Taylor, the series will be “an exploration of character and race set in modern-day Mississippi.” Taylor, a Mississippi native, will also executive produce alongside Warren Littlefield (Fargo) and John Norris (Get on Up). The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.

The movie starred Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier as two men working together against their racial differences to solve a murder investigation in a hostile Southern town. In the Heat of the Night won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Steiger. Based on John Ball’s 1965 novel of the same name, the property was previously adapted by NBC to television in 1988 starring Carroll O’Connor and Howard Rollins. The show, which later moved to CBS, ran for seven seasons and four made-for-TV movies.

Taylor’s involvement marks the second major television project for the film director, who is currently working on the Netflix comedy Grace & Frankie starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.