February 15, 2013 - 16:00 AMT
Minnie Driver to star in NBC’s “About a Boy” comedy adaptation

NBC has found David Walton's new leading lady. Minnie Driver has been tapped to co-star in the network's About a Boy comedy adaptation, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Parenthood's Jason Katims will pen the pilot adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel and the film. The single-camera comedy follows the relationship between a bachelor man-child named Will (New Girl's Walton) and the young boy named Marcus who moves in next-door with his crazy, single mother, Fiona.

Driver will co-star as Fiona, Marcus' eccentric and quirky mother, who is attempting to find herself following a recent divorce. She's in a stage of "vegan throwback hippie-ness" and still sad about the split when she and her son move to San Francisco in the hopes that they can improve their lives.

Katims penned the role with Driver in mind. Toni Collette played the role in the 2002 feature opposite Hugh Grant.

Friday Night Lights' Katims will executive produce the Universal Television effort alongside Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro, with Jon Favreau onboard to direct the pilot.

For Driver, the casting marks her third pilot in as many years. She was attached to star in Kari Lizer's comedy Nick and Jen last year and the Ilene Chaiken drama Hail Mary in 2011. Neither of the two moved forward. Driver, who earned a supporting Oscar nomination for her role in 1997's Good Will Hunting. Her credits also include features Conviction and The Deep.