NBCUniversal Options Timothy Hallinan's JUNIOR BENDER Crime Novels for Eddie Izzard

Universal Television has optioned the critically acclaimed "Junior Bender" series of comic crime novels by Timothy Hallinan for an NBC network series produced by Eddie Izzard. "Royal Pains" co-executive producer, Jessica Ball, is onboard to write the pilot based on the literary franchise of titles, published by Soho Press, that include "Crashed," "Little Elvises", "The Fame Thief" and "Herbie's Game."

Hallinan's series of novels, which NPR in their Best Books of 2013 post called "Splendidly entertaining" and which has been nominated for multiple awards, follows the adventures of Junior Bender, a world-class burglar who acts as an unwilling private eye for some of LA's most powerful crooks. If you can't turn to the police for help, you turn to Junior-if you can find him.

According to "The Hollywood Reporter," Izzard has not yet been attached to act in the series but the actor had a holding deal with the network.

Hallinan will be the Guest of Honor at the Left Coast Crime convention in 2015 and a featured author at the Texas Book Festival this fall.