Aaron Sorkin HBO Cable News Pilot Ordered To Series

Aaron Sorkin's TV pilot about a cable news network has been picked up for series by HBO, starting with an initial 10-episode run.

Once working under the title "More As This Story Develops," the now untitled show will star Jeff Daniels as a news anchor fighting the uphill good fight alongside his boss in Sam Waterson, executive producer in Emily Mortimer, and a news team that includes Olivia Munn and Dev Patel.

Sorkin, who created the Emmy-winning political drama "The West Wing" and won an Oscar for his screenplay on "The Social Network," created the sports news drama "Sports Night," which ran from 1998-2000. He had a one season run on NBC with "Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip," a dramedy about a "Saturday Night Live"-style comedy show.

Here's the show's log line, via EW: ""Together they set out on a patriotic and quixotic mission to do the news well in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles and their own personal entanglements."

Sorkin spoke with TV Guide about the show in February, saying, "It'll be aspirational. It'll be wish fulfillment. But they're going to lose as much as they're going to win. In other words, it's not going to be a fantasy. They're going to be trying to do well in a context where it's very difficult to do well when there are commercial concerns and political concerns and corporate concerns."

Watch Sorkin guest on the last season of '30 Rock'

Comments

[AuntLoonie]

02:04 PM on 09/09/2011

I'm really excited for this. I think "Studio 60" was underrated and was sorry it didn't last. The acting was stellar on that show too. Great subject matter for the times with this new effort. Go, Aaron!

[h23154]

12:48 PM on 09/09/2011

Loved West Wing before it went over the top. Greatest scene - Martin Sheen campaigning before dairy farmers demanding they be subsidized which will result in cuts to a school milk program. He tells one screamer that if it is more important to him that he get an extra penny a gallon than some poor child get milk he should vote for someone else because Sheen does not want his vote. Like you might ever see that in real life. Imagine Obama saying; if it is more important to you that a hedge fund manager not have to pay the same tax rate as you on his $15 billion dollar income than a poor family get heat this winter, vote for the other guy, because would rather not have your support. I would bet that would be worth a few hundred thousand votes.

[ClaytonM]

04:15 PM on 09/09/2011

Yeah, that was a great scene. Wasn't that set up as a flashback too, when he wasn't doing well in the primaries?

The very first episode got me hooked when Martin Sheen interrupted the meeting between his staff and members of the religious right.

[chrisincalif]

08:58 PM on 09/24/2011

West Wing lost luster once John Wells got his mitts around it, and started choking. My favorite episode was the season 1 Christmas show, about the homeless vet who died with Toby's business card in his coat pocket. That Arlington funeral, juxtaposed with the White House Christmas choir, still chokes me up.

I love everything Aaron Sorkin writes, and look forward to this new show.

[lasjazzman]

02:45 AM on 09/09/2011

This could be good, considering the writing talents of Sorkin - and it most likely will be - but I would much rather see Sorkin's concept be a satirical takedown of right wing cable news shows in particular!!!

[dkuz09]

12:04 AM on 09/09/2011

Aaron Sorkin was pretty frakkin awesome on 30 Rock

[Patricia1111]

10:50 PM on 09/08/2011

Does anyone know if his son is okay now. Never hear anything on the aftermath of the incident.

[kenhamlett]

09:54 PM on 09/08/2011

This is the most hopeful entertainment story of the month. See, HuffPost, there is entertainment news other than the publicity-seeking Kardashian family. Mr. Sorkin is a brilliant writer, and Messrs Daniels (a favorite of mine for years) and Waterston and company should turn out a great show.

[kcbhcsr]

08:20 PM on 09/08/2011

Love Aaron Sorkin. This series can only be great!

[EmilyRose2010]

07:34 PM on 09/08/2011

love jeff daniels

[walkingman50]

05:10 PM on 09/08/2011

Will it be set in Michigan ?

[rich3324]

05:51 PM on 09/08/2011

Lets hope.

[AllWeAreSaying]

05:09 PM on 09/08/2011

Olivia Munn, from what I've seen of her on the Daily Show is not very funny and not much of an actress. Killer bod though.

[GraphicMatt]

03:48 PM on 09/08/2011

1. This looks like a really cool show with a super cast.
2. Hey HufPo, what's going on in the comments sections today? Get your poop together.

[MikeDu]

03:32 PM on 09/08/2011

Ah! I thought that was Jeff Daniels! Hes one of those actors who refused to age a day in 20 years, then overnight the 20 years catches up with him. Not meant to be unkind, the same thing happened to me. Welcome to the real world.

[DDL13]

03:17 PM on 09/08/2011

Aaron Sorkin has the sense to hire excellent writers, and thats hard to come by in Hollywood these days. Love Jeff Daniels, but say it aint so "McCoy" from Law & Order? As a faithfull follower of Law & Order I saw this man go from a normal guy to a very ANGRY nasty man, quit watching because of him. I don't know if growing older made him jaded but he sure wasn't the actor I remembered him to be in the 90's. Bad choice so I will pass on this one.

[Orphie]

03:17 PM on 09/09/2011

"Aaron Sorkin has the sense to hire excellent writers, and thats hard to come by in Hollywood these days."

Sorkin is the writer.

[RebootTheMedia]

03:06 PM on 09/08/2011

If you can't reboot the media for real, at least you can start by rebooting the make-believe media...

[Beth Humphreys]

03:04 PM on 09/08/2011

Can;t wait to see. I love everything Sorkin does. :)