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EXCLUSIVE: Former ER executive producers John Wells and Jack Orman are reuniting with NBC for a new high-profile medical drama project. The network has given a pilot production commitment to Outbreak, an hourlong series based on the hit 1995 Warner Bros feature directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Freeman and Rene Russo.

Co-written by Wells and Orman, Outbreak is described as a medical thriller that follows an ensemble of characters as they race to contain a lethal virus before it becomes a global pandemic. Warner Bros TV and studio-based John Wells Prods are producing, with Wells, Orman and JWP’s Andrew Stearn executive producing. I hear Gail Katz, who was a producer on the movie, also is expected to be involved in some producing capacity. This marks Wells’ first co-writing stint since another adaptation, Shameless, which continues its successful run on Showtime. Released in March 1995, Outbreak spent three weekends atop the boxoffice en route to grossing $190 million on a $50 million budget. Wells and Orman are repped by CAA.

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