The Lincoln Laywer was a solid hit for Lionsgate, grossing over $85 million worldwide and surprising critics to the tune of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.  Factor in recent success on home video and a renewable premise, and The Lincoln Lawyer is ripe for franchising.  First stop: TV!  Variety reports ABC has ordered a pilot script for a proposed drama series from Lincoln Lawyer screenwriter John Romano and Michael Connelly, the author of the source novel.

Connelly has written five novels about charismatic defense attorney Mickey Haller, so the writers won't lack for inspiration at the outset.  The series likely won't stray too far from your typical procedural -- one case per week, solved at the end of the show.  The twist, of course, is Haller's peculiar choice in offices: a Lincoln Town Car.  I assume Matthew McConaughey will not reprise his feature role on a weekly TV series.  His brand of charm could be hard to replicate, but it's a plum lead role  for the actor who gets it.  I speak as if the project is going straight to series, when really only one script has been ordered.  But this seems like a sure thing.  I imagine we'll hear more about The Lincoln Lawyer: The TV Series in the near future.

Read a synopsis of Connelly's novel after the break.

For defense attorney Mickey Haller, the clock is always running. With two ex-wives, four Lincoln Town Cars that he uses as offices, and dozens of guilty clients, he can't afford to miss a trick. When he gets picked by a Beverly Hills rich boy arrested for assault, Mickey sees a franchise case: a nice, long, expensive trial with maximum billable hours--until it hurtles him into the last place he wants to be. Suddenly hustling, cynical Mickey Haller is confronted with pure evil and someone who may be truly innocent. Now, for a lawyer who has always gone for the easy score, getting justice means taking the deadliest risk of all. [Amazon]