BBC America drama set for FX

FX will screen BBC America’s first scripted commission,  a period drama titled Copper later in 2012, starring Tom Weston-Jones (Spooks).

Created by Tom Fontana (Oz, Homicide: Life on the Streets, St. Elsewhere) and Will Rokos (Monster’s Ball, Southland) the  crime series set in 1860s New York City, centres around Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones), “an intense, rugged Irish-immigrant cop working the city’s notorious Five Points neighborhood.”

Franka Potente, Kyle Schmid, and Anastasia Griffith also star.

In a statement, FX says of the story, “Corcoran is struggling to maintain his moral compass in a turbulent world, while on an emotional and relentless quest to learn the truth about the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter. His friendship with two Civil War compatriots – the wayward son of a wealthy industrialist and an African American physician who secretly assists Corcoran with his work – takes him to the contrasting worlds of elegant Fifth Avenue and northern Manhattan. The three men share a secret from their experience on the battlefield that inextricably links their lives forever.”

Executive producers on the series are Fontana, Rokos, Barry Levinson (Good Morning, Vietnam, Rain Man, You Don’t Know Jack) and Christina Wayne, President of Cineflix Studios (Broken Trail and executive in charge of Mad Men at AMC).

Said Jason Simms, SVP of Global Acquisitions at FIC: “Being BBC America’s first scripted commission and Cineflix Studios’ first scripted order, Copper was always going to be special; but having the fantastic talents of Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson on board too gives Copper an extra layer of polish and sparkle. We’re delighted to be working with Cineflix on this compelling, gritty and ambitious new series, and equally thrilled to bring it to our audiences in a diverse array of markets”.