Anna Gunn to star in scripted Bravo series 'Rita'

NEW YORK, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Bravo Media says it has signed actress Anna Gunn to star in "Rita," one of the U.S. cable network's first scripted drama pilots.

The American adaptation of the Danish family drama of the same name is to commence production this spring, with Miguel Arteta directing and executive producing the pilot.

"Anna is the perfect actress to play Rita," Andrew Wang, Bravo's vice president of scripted development and production, said in a statement Friday. "Rita needs to have a certain wit and strength about her, a person who is unapologetic in her point of view about her life and choices and Anna perfectly embodies all of those qualities that we are looking for in that role."

"Anna Gunn is a phenomenal talent and we couldn't be more excited that she's going to play Rita," said Krista Vernoff, the show's writer and executive producer. "I know Hollywood is a hyperbolic town, but that's not hyperbole. We are freaking out with excitement."

In the series, Gunn will play a private school teacher struggling to raise three teenage children while dealing with the inane bureaucracy and overprotective parents at her school, Bravo said in a synopsis.

Gunn currently stars on "Breaking Bad," which is wrapping up its last season. Her other small-screen credits include "Deadwood," "The Practice," "Six Feet Under," "ER" and "Seinfeld."