Christian Slater to star in espionage drama

By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Christian Slater is NBC's next drama leading man. Sources said the network is close to handing out a series order for an untitled drama described as "The Bourne Identity" meets "Jekyll & Hyde." Slater would play a mild-mannered suburban dad who learns that his alter ego is a spy.

It comes from writer-producer Jason Smilovic, who originally developed it as a feature at Fox several years ago.

NBC declined comment.

Slater has been courted for years to do a primetime series and was regularly offered pilot gigs. But, aside from guest appearances on NBC's "The West Wing" and ABC's "Alias," he largely stayed on the sidelines until last year, when he was attached to another NBC drama, "Dirty Little Secrets," which did not survives the development stage.

Slater, 38, rose to fame in the 1990s with such films as "True Romance," "Interview with the Vampire" and "Broken Arrow." His recent credits include smaller movies like "Bobby" and "Alone in the Dark."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter