Writer/director signs deal with NBC

BURBANK, Calif., July 25 (UPI) -- Oscar-nominated writer/director/producer Frank Darabont has signed on to create two dramas for NBC TV.

Darabont earned an Oscar nomination in 1984 for his work on the "Shawshank Redemption" and later for the screenplay of "The Green Mile."

In a news release announcing the signing, NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said Darabont's work "is a good fit with our direction in drama development."

Darabont said he is excited about his first foray in television and "could not be more thrilled" to be working with NBC.

Farabont's other credits include "Collateral," 1994's "Frankenstein" and he's currently directing his own screenplay in a new version of "Fahrenheit 451."