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The West family are set to gain American cousins after United States network ABC signed a deal with New Zealand's South Pacific Pictures to develop Outrageous Fortune into an American series.
The deal is the first time a New Zealand or Australian drama series has been adapted for a major US network, and has already caught the eye of Veronica Mars scriptwriter Rob Thomas, who has signed on for the adaptation.
Outrageous Fortune co-creator and Herald columnist James Griffin said he was flattered by the news but said it was early days.
"There are no scripts to read or pilots to watch. Certainly there are no vast sums of money flowing into my bank account."
American showbusiness magazine Variety mentions the development and describes Outrageous Fortune as "a drama about a family of blue-collar criminals".
Griffin, an admirer of Thomas' work, said he was very pleased about the scriptwriter's involvement.
"You send this little prodigal child out into the world and hope it ends up in good hands. That's as much as I can say right now, it's in good hands."
Griffin has been in email contact with Thomas and was happy with the writer's ideas.
He said he appreciated that some changes would have to be made to adapt the series for the US market.
While exact figures have not been disclosed, South Pacific Pictures chief executive John Barnett said the deal was very significant to the company.
"It is a tribute to the writing and creative skills of our team - co-creators Rachel Lang and James Griffin and executive producer Simon Bennett - and their ability to create drama which is specifically local but absolutely international in its theme and structure," he said from London.
America is the second territory to adapt the award-winning series. Britain's ITV commissioned a six-part series based on the drama, called Honest.
The series, starring At Home With Braithwaites actress Amanda Redman, is set to air next year.
Outrageous Fortune screens on Tuesdays, 9.30pm on TV3. Throughout season three, an average of 372,100 viewers aged five-plus have tuned into the programme.
The show has won numerous awards including scooping best drama, best actress (Robyn Malcolm), best actor (Antony Starr) and best supporting actor (Frank Whitten), best drama script (Griffin) and achievement in directing (Simon Bennett) at the 2007 Air NZ Screen Awards.
Translation
How classic Outrageous Fortune lines might be translated for American viewers
Van: "He made Aurora nearly bite off my wanger."
US version: "He made Aurora nearly bite off my Johnson."
Munter: "You just mimed rooting your own sister."
US translation: "You just mimed screwing your own sister."
