“Scandal” alumnae Heather Mitchell and Jenna Bans have another twisty drama on the way. Deadline reports the duo have landed a script commitment with penalty at Fox for an untitled series adaptation of Joshilyn Jackson’s bestseller “Never Have I Ever.” Mitchell is writing, and will executive produce alongside Bans and Jackson.
The show sees protagonist Amy Whey “living the life of an average-if-unfulfilled housewife in suburban Florida when a grifter named Roux drifts into town… and wastes no time infiltrating the network of local women,” the source summarizes. “When Roux learns that Amy’s the Big Fish she needs for her last big score, the hustler and her mark become locked in a deadly battle: How far is Amy willing to go, to keep her secrets hidden in the past? How dangerous is Roux, when she zeroes in on her prey? And how could either of these women ever have known that this swindler picked the wrong suburban housewife to mess with?”
Hailing from Universal Television — where Bans has an overall deal– and Appian Way, the “Never Have I Ever” adaptation was recently in the works with “Nurse Jackie’s” Liz Brixius attached as writer/EP. “If the project goes forward, it will likely have a different title than the book it’s based on to avoid confusion with the Netflix coming-of-age comedy ‘Never Have I Ever,'” Deadline notes.
Jackson’s “Never Have I Ever” was published in 2019. She has written a total of 10 novels, including this year’s “Mother May I,” “The Almost Sisters,” and “The Opposite of Everyone.” Jackson is on the board of Reforming Arts, a nonprofit that runs education-in-prison and reentry programs.
Bans created crime drama “Good Girls,” which ended last week after four seasons on NBC. “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “The Family” are among her other credits. Next, her company, Minnesota Logging Co., is producing Nzingha Stewart’s “Redrum,” a dramedy about BFFs who host a podcast about serial killers, for NBC.
Mitchell also previously worked on “Grey’s.” She has written for and produced “Godfather of Harlem,” “Still Star-Crossed,” “Medium,” and more.
