Hurd is an avid art collector and has several pieces in her Universal City office. Large pieces include of works by a group of French artists collectively known as Figuration Libre, Remi Blanchard and others. She also has a Lichtenstein print, as well as as a painting from an Aboriginal artist she purchased while producing No Escape in Australia.

Gale Anne Hurd will exec produce the adaptation of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's best-selling series.

Spike TV is expanding its focus on scripted television.

The Viacom-owned cable network is teaming with The Walking Dead producer Gale Anne Hurd to adapt Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's best-selling book series Relic and Cabinet of Curiosities, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The scripted series, titled Pendergast after its central special FBI agent, is set in a contemporary New York City, with season one focused on Pendergast investigating a present-day crime mimicking a century-old mystery — that links to his own family's dark past.

Hurd and her Universal Cable Productions-based Valhalla Entertainment banner will executive produce the Paramount Television co-production. John McLaughlin (Black Swan) will pen the script and exec produce.

Pendergast marks the first collaboration between fellow Viacom properties Spike and Paramount TV and the second co-pro between Par TV and UCP following USA Networks' Shooter adaptation. Spike exec vp original series Sharon Levy, senior vp scripted Ted Gold and senior director originals Lauren Ruggiero will oversee for Spike.

For the cable network that has seen ratings records with Lip Sync Battle, Pendergast marks its expansion into scripted originals following mini Tut and recently ordered straight-to-series drama Red Mars, itself an adaption of Kim Stanley Robinson's book series Mars Trilogy.

Hurd's Pendergast joins a Spike development slate that also includes Kurt Wimmer's When the Levee Breaks, Pierce Brosnan-produced The Crusaders, Stephen Frey take The Chairman and Legendary's Emergency Broadcast.

For Hurd, meanwhile, Pendergast joins a growing slate of scripted TV that also includes AMC's The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, Syfy's Hunters and USA Network's Falling Water.