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Co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady as well as showrunner Steve Molaro will oversee the project.
CBS is looking to keep TV's No. 1 comedy series going — with a twist.

The network is developing a spinoff of The Big Bang Theory, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Sources say the comedy, from Big Bang co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady and overseen by showrunner Steve Molaro, will center around the young version of Emmy winner Jim Parsons' Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Insiders describe the project as Malcolm in the Middle but with a young and potentially teenage version of Sheldon. None of the Big Bang Theory cast are said to be involved in the potential prequel series outside of Parsons, who will exec produce.

CBS and Big Bang producers Warner Bros. Television declined comment. The project, which is said to have landed at CBS with a sizable penalty attached, will be a single-camera comedy — a shift from Big Bang's traditional multicamera format. Additional details about the project are being kept under wraps.

The spinoff comes as Big Bang is in its 10th season and has not yet been renewed beyond that. The comedy ranks as TV's most-watched comedy among the all-important adults 18-49 demographic.

Key to the show's continuation — either as the flagship or a spinoff — comes as the show's cast — Parsons, Johnny Galecki (Leonard), Kaley Cuoco (Penny), Simon Helberg (Howard), Kunal Nayyar (Raj), Mayim Bialik (Amy) and Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) — are all currently negotiating new deals for a likely 11th season and beyond. ources say the cast are all seeking pay raises from their historic contracts reached two years ago when the show was picked up for a three-season renewal.

"We are very confident that everyone involved wants more Big Bang past year 10 and I know Warner Bros. will make those deals," CBS president Glenn Geller told reporters in August at TCA.

Parsons, Galecki and Cuoco last negotiated together in 2014 and were seeking big salary increases. Sources at the time told THR that the trio secured about $1 million per half-hour with an increased cut of the show's backend from 0.25 percent to 1.25 percent. The deals are said to bring the three into the Friends region, with that cast negotiating together and locking in $1 million per episode with studio WBTV. (Big Bang Theory is a massive hit in syndication, with TBS' repeats regularly topping the weekly syndication ratings.) The pacts also included overall deals and more. Co-stars Bialik and Rauch previously inked new deals with WBTV, with both earning big raises two years ago when the cast's contract talks began but before Parsons, Galecki and Cuoco's rich deal.

Talking with THR in 2013, producers Lorre, Molaro and Prady joked that they could never envision doing a spinoff of Big Bang. "I can't imagine doing that. I couldn't imagine taking any part of this show and separating it; it's all once piece to me. I can't wrap my head around splintering someone away from this show," Lorre said. Prady, meanwhile, joked he'd like to do a one-hour spinoff with Stuart from the comic book show. For his part, WBTV-based Molaro seemed the most open-minded about an off-shoot. "I'm so head-first and knee-deep into these characters and so in love with this show and the characters that are on it," he toldTHR in 2013. "We're just scratching the surface of a lot of these relationships. I can't even think about a spinoff. The show is a priority and I love it as a writer and as a fan. That's just so far away, it's too far off the radar for me to even give you an honest answer about that. I live the show, I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it and want it to be great. Maybe someday but right now this is the focus."

During its 10-season run, many references have been made to Sheldon's childhood, growing up as a gifted youngster in Texas with a religious mother. A potential Sheldon prequel would likely have to involve Laurie Metcalf, who has recurred throughout Big Bang's 10-year run as Mary Cooper, Sheldon's mom. A prequel series would also give the writers a lot of material to work with given Sheldon's history — as well as a structure to follow. Big Bang, unlike most series on TV, does not plot out its arcs and seasons ahead of time but rather the writers take it episode by episode.

If the Big Bang prequel were to move forward, it would give WBTV-based Lorre at least two series on the air next year and join Netflix's pot comedy Disjointed, starring Kathy Bates, and likely three series should contract talks move forward on Big Bang. He's also teaming with Amazon for a Bonfire of the Vanities miniseries.

Lorre is repped by UTA; Prady is with Rothman Brecher and Molaro.

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Talk about putting the meta in metaphysics: Laurie Metcalf’s real-life actress-daughter Zoe Perry is being eyed to play the mother of Young Sheldon in CBS’ in-the-works prequel spinoff. Metcalf, as you know, currently recurs on Big Bang as the mother of Adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons).

Additionally, as TVLine just reported, Parsons’ prepubescent predecessor is set to be portrayed by Big Little Lies breakout Iain Armitage.

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The untitled offshoot — which has yet to receive a formal pilot order from CBS — would center on a young Sheldon growing up in Texas. Parsons will executive-produce along with Big Bang co-creator Chuck Lorre and current showrunner Steve Molaro. (Co-creator Bill Prady is expected to join as an EP as well.)

Perry, whose father is Scandal vet Jeff Perry, previously guested on Roseanne, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, NCIS and the aforementioned Scandal. She also had a regular role on last season’s short-lived ABC drama The Family.

The news comes as CBS and Warner Bros. are hammering out a new two-year renewal deal for The Big Bang Theory, a process reportedly being stymied by a contract stalemate involving supporting players Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch.

Warner Bros. and CBS declined to comment or confirm Perry’s casting.

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