HBO has put in development Bastards, a drama based on the Israeli series Nevelot. The project, from Sony TV, studio-based Happy Madison and Alan Poul’s Boku Films, is being written by playwright Branden Jacobs Jenkins (Appropriate), with Poul attached to direct under his overall deal at HBO.

Described as a thriller with dark comedic overtones, Bastards follows two elderly Vietnam vets in contemporary Miami, whose resentment of today’s entitled youth causes a small act of self-defense to snowball into something much bigger. Jenkins, Poul and Happy Madison’s Doug Robinson executive produce, along with Mirit Toovi, Yoran Mokady and Hadas Mozes Lichtenstein.

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The 2010 Israeli series Nevelot, created by Dror Sabo, Daphna Levin, Lee Yardeni and Aviram Buchris, was produced by MYtv for the HOT network.

Bastards is part of Happy Madison’s push into drama. The Sony TV-based company is behind the ABC comedy series The Goldbergs — now in Season 3 — and ABC comedy pilot Imaginary Gary, which blends live-action and CGI animation. The project, from Oscar-winning Disney feature animator Patrick Osborne and The Goldbergs creator/executive producer Adam F. Goldberg and executive producer David Guarascio, has a series penalty attached.