The CW Buys Hispanic Family Drama ‘Casa’ Produced By Greg Berlanti

The CW and top producer Greg Berlanti will touch on the hot-button issue of immigration with Casa, a drama project in development at the network from Warner Bros TV and Berlanti’s studio-based Berlanti Prods.

Written by Ed Gonzalez & Jeremy Haft, Casa revolves around six siblings in a Hispanic family who have to band together to survive when their parents get unjustly deported. Gonzalez and Haft executive produce with Berlanti Prods,’ Berlanti and Sarah Schechter.

Writing partners Gonzalez and Haft got a break when they were selected as the 2014 Fox Writers Intensive Fellows, leading to a script development deal with Fox Broadcasting Co and 20th Century Fox Television and a staffing job on the first season of the hit Fox drama Empire.

The CW has scored high marks for its depiction of illegal immigration and its toll on families in dramedy Jane the Virgin. The topic is the subject of a heated debate during the current presidential election.

For Berlanti, the family drama marks a change of pace at the CW, where he executive produces five comic book-themed series: Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and the upcoming Riverdale. It is a throwback to his early days at the CW predecessor the WB, where he created Everwood and Jack & Bobby.

Casa is the latest sale for Berlanti Prods. in what has been one of the company’s busiest development seasons ever. It joins two dramas with pilot production commitments, Black Lightning at Fox, written by Salim Akil & Mara Brock Akil, and Deception at ABC, written by Chris Fedak. At ABC, the company also has a put pilot commitment for drama Criminal, written by Blindspot‘s Martin Gero and Brendan Gall, a script plus penalty commitment for comedy Raised by Wolves, written by Diablo Cody, and also is developing drama The Marquis, written by Jake Coburn and exec produced by Julie Plec. Berlanti Prods. is repped by WME.