The Last Ship by William Brinkley

VARIETY: TNT orders pilot for 'The Last Ship'

Action-adventure comes from exec producer Michael Bay

By STUART LEVINE

TNT has gone forward and ordered the pilot of Michael Bay's action-adventure drama "The Last Ship."

Project, about a global catastrophe where those aboard a naval destroyer are the only survivors, is based on the William Brinkley novel.

Script comes from "Without a Trace" vet Hank Steinberg and Steven Kane, who exec produce with Bay and Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form.

Cabler is having a solid summer. Net just gave a third-season renewal for "Falling Skies" and freshman skein "Dallas" drew 6.9 million for its June 13 debut episode. "Rizzoli & Isles" captured 7.1 million viewers when it debuted June 5 in its new Tuesday timeslot.

Last week Eric McCormack-starrer "Perception" opened to 5.6 million and "The Closer" began its final season with 6.1 million.

However, several of their shows are drawing large numbers in the 25-54 demo, with less in the more ad-desirable 18-49 demo.

Television rights to William Brinkley's THE LAST SHIP, the action/adventure story of the crew of a naval destroyer that is forced to confront the reality of a new existence when a pandemic decimates most of the earth's population, to TNT, with Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes producing, by Hotchkiss and Associates on behalf of Sterling Lord at Sterling Lord Literistic.