Cinemax launches Alan Ball-created drama series Banshee

HBO-owned cable network Cinemax is ramping up its scripted slate with Banshee, a new action series from True Blood creator Alan Ball.

The network has ordered the ten episode drama series and will be produced by Your Face Goes Here Entertainment. It will launch in January 2013.

The series stars Rush’s Antony Starr as an ex-con and master thief who assumes the identity of the sheriff of Banshee even as he’s hunted by gangsters. It was written by author’s Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler and is exec produced by Ball, Damages’ Greg Yaitanes and True Blood star Peter Macdissi.

The series is the latest Cinemax scripted series following orders for Frank Spotnitz’s Hunted, Strike Back, which is a coproduction with BSkyB, The Transporter and Steve Kronish’s Sandbox.