Ratner of 'X-Men' to head new TV pilot

LOS ANGELES, July 21 (UPI) -- Brett Ratner, director of "X-Men: The Last Stand," is one of the creative forces behind "Blue Blood," a newly approved U.S. crime pilot for Fox.

Inspired by the memoir of policeman Edward Conlon, the 37-year-old director and screenwriter Neil Tolkin created the dramatic pilot that focuses on a Harvard graduate who decides to follow in his family's footsteps and become a New York policeman, the Hollywood Reporter said.

Fox has officially committed to a pilot episode for the 20th Century Fox TV and Roundtable Entertainment-produced project, for which Ratner will serve as executive producer.

The pilot originated nearly six months ago when Roundtable executives Gina Matthews and Grant Sharbo first approached Tolkin with Conlon's memoirs and suggested that it could be turned into a TV series, the Reporter said.