Jason Lee sings "Delta Blues"

Actor Jason Lee, star of the new NBC television network comedy series ''My Name is Earl'' answers questions from television critics during the NBC Summer press tour in Beverly Hills in this July 24, 2005 file photo.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "My Name Is Earl" star Jason Lee is jumping back into TV as the lead in "Delta Blues," a pilot for cable network TNT that's executive produced by George Clooney.

Lee also has a live-action project in the works at Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and has signed on to direct the indie film "Get Back."

The hourlong "Delta Blues," from Clooney and Grant Heslov's Smokehouse Pictures and Warner Horizon, centers on Dwight Hendricks (Lee), a Memphis police officer who lives with his mother and moonlights as an Elvis impersonator.

Clark Johnson is directing the pilot from a script by Liz M. Garcia and Joshua Harto.

After NBC canceled "My Name Is Earl," TNT sister network TBS tried to continue production of the show this year, but budget issues thwarted the move. Lee earned several acting nominations for playing lovable hick Earl Hickey on the comedy, which ran for four seasons.

On other fronts, Lee and Luke Watson co-created a live-action comedy for Adult Swim set in the world of skateboarding. Lee is attached to direct and star in the comedy, now in development.

On the big screen, "Get Back," which Lee will direct, tells the story of two music-obsessed friends who time-travel back to 1966 London, where one gets caught in a love triangle with John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

In front of the cameras, Lee recently wrapped Kevin Smith's "A Couple of Dicks" and George Gall and Kevin Pollak's "Columbus Circle." He is set to reprise his role from "Alvin and the Chipmunks" with a cameo in the upcoming "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel."

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)