Christian Slater coming to NBC

NBC is reportedly moments away from ordering a series starring Christian Slater, according to a story in The Hollywood Reporter. The series is described as "The Bourne Identity meets Jekyll & Hyde"-- where Slater's suburban house dad discovers he has a super-spy alter ego. It would be the first television series for Slater, who has been on television's hot list for years but never made it to primetime.

The spy series is created by Jason Smilovic, who also created critically adored-but-ultimately-canceled series Kidnapped and Karen Sisco.

If you're wondering why you haven't heard of this untitled series before, it's because the pilot hasn't even been shot. NBC is picking it up purely on the script and series pitch, forgoing the expense of shooting the pilot. It's NBC's new tactic to save money by skipping expensive pilots by just ordering an entire series. It's the fifth series that NBC has picked up in this fashion. Risky, but it'll be interesting to see how it all pans out this fall.