ABC to develop Debra Martin Chase’s Legacy, a modern day Great Expectations

ABC to develop producer Debra Martin Chase‘s Legacy, a modern day Great Expectations
Posted by Wilson Morales

October 9, 2012

Source: Deadline

ABC has put in development Legacy, a drama from feature producer Debra Martin Chase, which is described as a sexy soap and a modern-day twist on the Charles Dickens classic Great Expectations. Jeremy Anderson and Patrick Moss will write the script and will co-executive produce. Martin will executive produce.

This marks Martin’s first sale under the overall deal with ABC Studios she signed in August. Under the pact, she was to hire a dedicated TV executive, which she has now done, bringing in Charles Pugliese as VP at Martin Chase Prods. Previously, he was VP of Production and Development at Darren Star Prods, where he most recently co-produced the ABC/ABC Studios dramedy GCB. Prior to that, he was a producer at NYC-based Killer Films.

Chase recently produced ‘Sparkle,’ a remake of the 1976 film and the last film that the late Whitney Houston starred in. She started her TV career as executive producer on the hit 1997 musical film Cinderella starring Brandy and Houston. She kept her close ties to the Disney Co. with two hit franchises, The Princess Diaries on the feature side and The Cheetah Girls TV movies on Disney Channel. She also executive produced the successful Disney Channel movie Lemonade Mouth and the ABC Family musical Elixir.

This is the second drama project this season that is a modern-day reimagining of Great Expectations. The other, Expectations, is set up at the CW with Reese Witherspoon executive producing. Last year, ABC and the CW both had Beauty And The Beast drama pilots. Chase is repped by CAA and attorneys Nina Shaw and Abel Lezcano. Anderson and Moss are repped by Seth Nagel at Code Entertainment and The Kaplan Stahler Agency.