
'The Heiresses' is being produced by former 'PLL' showrunner I. Marlene King and is based on author Sara Shepard's book.
ABC is looking to the creators and star of Pretty Little Liars for its next soap.
The Disney-owned network has handed out a sizable put-pilot commitment to The Heiresses, a drama starring Pretty Little Liars grad Shay Mitchell, produced by PLL creator I. Marlene King and based on the book by franchise author Sara Shepard.
The Heiresses is a family soap with a mystery twist, set in the diamond world. In the show, the Saybrooks are a household name. They have been blessed with great fortune, but cursed with epic loss. The events surrounding a deadly crash a year ago drove a wedge between the once-inseparable diamond-empire heiresses. But when an unspeakable tragedy brings the cousins back together, they create a truly unbreakable bond. They set out to solve the mystery of who wants the Saybrook family dead before one of them is the next target.
ing, who wrapped seven seasons of Freeform's signature hit Pretty Little Liars earlier this year, will pen the script and executive produce the drama. Mitchell will topline the series; details about her role have not yet been determined. The drama hails from Warner Bros. Television, where King and Mitchell are under overall deals. Alloy Entertainment's Gina Girolamo and Leslie Morgenstein, who also produced Pretty Little Liars, are also attached to exec produce. The Heiresses is produced by WBTV, Alloy and Long Lake Media.
The Heiresses caps a big week for King, who on Sept. 25 scored a pilot order for a Pretty Little Liars spinoff — The Perfectionists — at her longtime home, Freeform. The spinoff is also based on the book of the same name by Shepard and will star former Liars favorites Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish, with Alloy also producing. King is repped by WME and Morris Yorn.
For Mitchell, meanwhile, The Heiresses becomes her second post-PLL starring role. She is also attached to topline Lifetime's Greg Berlanti straight-to-series drama You opposite Penn Badgley, also produced by Alloy. The actress next stars in feature Cadaver. She's repped by APA and David Dean Management.