EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, ABC has landed soapy musical drama series House of the Rising Sun, I have learned. No one would comment but I hear the project, from Step Up and Save the Last Dance writer Duane Adler and indie studio Entertainment One, has received a put pilot commitment.

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I hear respected R&B singer-songwriter Raphael Saadiq, an Oscar nominee for Mudbound, will contribute music for the potential series, which is expected to incorporate the famous folk song whose title mirrors the name of the show. (You can watch the song’s arguably most famous rendition by The Animals below.)

Written and executive produced by Adler, House of the Rising Sun is said to be in the vein of Moulin Rouge. it is described as a Romeo and Juliet-style soap about two feuding families set against the backdrop of the famous New Orleans night club.

The exact physical location of the House of the Rising Sun establishment in New Orleans, immortalized in the folk song, is not known, with scenarios raging from a prison to a brothel to a restaurant/nightclub.

Michael Schreiber and David Devries executive produce House of the Rising Sun via their Studio71 banner. The duo originated the project, bringing in Adler, before they took it to eOne.

Saadiq is repped by Paradigm, Friends At Work, and attorney William A. Berrol.

House of the Rising Sun fits into one of ABC’s top goals this development season, to find “a big, provocative soap” with bold, loud storytelling, the network’s Entertainment President Karey Burke told Deadline last month, noting that family soap is one of the main areas they are exploring.

At ABC, eOne has cop drama The Rookie starring Nathan Fillion, which is returning for a second season. In broadcast, the indie studio also is behind new Fox drama series Deputy, headlined by Stephen Dorff.