The CW has put in development The Progeny, a drama based on Tosca Lee’s bestselling book, from writer Chris Roberts (Orphan Black), Edward Burns’ Marlboro Road Gang Productions, Radar Pictures and CBS TV Studios.

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Roberts Courtesy of Verve

Written by Roberts, The Progeny centers on a young amnesiac who discovers she’s a descendant of history’s greatest murderess, plunging her into a deadly underground war as she fights to stop a secret society that has preyed on her kind for centuries.

Burns’ Marlboro Road Gang Productions and Radar Pictures teamed last year to develop the project and went out to writers. Burns and producing partner Aaron Lubin executive produce alongside Radar’s Ted Field, Michael Napoliello and Mike Weber. Roberts is co-executive producer. Maria Frisk serves as producer. CBS TV Studios is the studio.

Roberts most recently worked as a supervising producer on Frontier for Netflix. Before that, he wrote on all seasons of Orphan Black for BBC America. He is repped by Verve and Vanguarde Artists Management.

Radar is producing fantasy drama The Wheel of Time recently ordered to series at Amazon.

Burns and Lubin, through Marlboro Road Gang Prods, produced Burns’ coming-of-age, ensemble comedy Summertime. Burns, along with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, executive produced the TNT period cop drama Public Morals, which Burns wrote, directed and starred in.