Santa Fe, N.M. - New Mexico Film Office Director Nick Maniatis announced today that the USA Network television pilot "Briarpatch," produced by Universal Cable Productions and Paramount Television, will begin principal photography in Albuquerque in September. Ana Lily Amirpour is set to direct.

Starring Rosario Dawson, who will also serve as a producer, "Briarpatch" will employ approximately 200 New Mexico crew members and approximately 350-450 New Mexico background talent.

"We welcome another great show to New Mexico," said New Mexico Film Office Director Nick Maniatis. "UPC and Paramount Television's commitment to New Mexico as a place to produce content such as 'Briarpatch' continues to serve as a great indicator for future productions in New Mexico."

"Briarpatch" follows Allegra Dill (Dawson), a dogged investigator returning to her border-town Texas home after her sister is murdered by a car bomb. What begins as a search for a killer turns into an all-consuming fight to bring the corrupt hometown Allegra thought she left behind to its knees.

Based on the Ross Thomas novel of the same name, "Briarpatch" is written for television by Andy Greenwald, who will executive produce along with "Mr. Robot" creator Sam Esmail through his production company Esmail Corp and Anonymous Content's Chad Hamilton. "Briarpatch" celebrates the beloved genre that Thomas' book represents -- a unique blend of crime, thriller, mystery, and pulp fiction -- while updating his electrifying sense of fun, danger and place for a new generation.

About Universal Cable Productions:
Universal Cable Productions (UCP) creates innovative and critically acclaimed original scripted content. Its premium slate of programming includes: "Homecoming" for Amazon Prime Video; "The Umbrella Academy" for Netflix; "The Act" for Hulu; "Dirty John" for Bravo; the Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning drama "Mr. Robot," the Golden Globe nominated "The Sinner," "Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G," "The Purge" and "Suits" for USA Network; "Impulse" for YouTube Premium; "Happy!," "The Magicians" and "Channel Zero" for SYFY. UCP's content library also features 800 hours of award-winning content, including the Emmy Award-winning "Monk," the Peabody and Hugo Award-winning "Battlestar Galactica" and the Emmy nominated "Psych." UCP is a part of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.