ABC picks up FsTV/BBC copro Defying Gravity

US network ABC has acquired Fox TV Studios’ international sci fi series Defying Gravity, which is a British, Canadian and German coproduction.

This is the first time that Fox TV Studios (FsTV), News Corp’s international production division has sold an international project to a non-Fox affiliated network.

The 13x1hour series follows eight astronauts from around the world including Sex in the City’s Ron Livingston, The Faculty’s Laura Harris and Raine’s Malik Yoba, that travel through space on a secret mission.

It has been coproduced with British public broadcaster the BBC, German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1, Canadian network CTV and Canadian production company Omni Films Productions.

The series has been executive produced by Grey’s Anatomy showrunner James Parriott and Desperate Housewives exec producer Michael Edelstein. It was originally based on a BBC drama documentary Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets and Edelstein acquired the rights to remake the series from British indie Impossible Pictures.

ABC is expected to launch the series this summer.