Fox Inks Development Deal for Shogun and an O.J. Simpson Project

Fox has two new event series in development: Shogun and The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson, the network announced Wednesday.

Shogun will be based on the bestselling novel by James Clavell, about a British hero in 1600s feudal Japan who becomes a samurai. It will be produced by Michael De Luca and Nigel Williams. Shogun was previously adapted as a popular miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain in 1980.

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The Simpson project, from Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, will be based on Jeffrey Toobin's book about O.J. Simpson's murder trial in the mid-1990s.

"These are both epic stories — one fiction, one fact — that have captivated millions of people worldwide," Senior Vice President Shana C. Waterman said in a statement. "They're riveting and emotional, with unique historic backdrops that lend themselves to the high-quality, dramatic event series we're looking to make."

The two projects join Fox's previously-announced pair of event series, the M. Night Shyamalan-directed Wayward Pines and Blood Brothers, about the West Point class of 1861.The series are set to debut in 2014.

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