New Dallas series given go-ahead

The new series will feature original cast members Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray

A full series update of classic 1980s US soap opera Dallas has been given the go ahead, it has been announced.

US network TNT said it had ordered 10 episodes of the programme, after it commissioned a pilot earlier this year.

Original stars Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray reprise their roles in the new show, which will focus on the Ewing family offspring.

The series is due to air in the US next summer. It is not yet known if it will be shown in the UK.

"TNT has explored the possibility of an updated version of Dallas for several years, but it wasn't until we read Cynthia Cidre's outstanding pilot script that we knew we had the foundation for a great new series," said TNT's Michael Wright.

"It is incredibly exciting to see both new and familiar characters in the hands of a dream cast. We couldn't be more pleased with how Dallas has come together."

Texas feud

Cidre wrote the 1992 film Mambo Kings.

Following the bitter rivalries and power struggles within two feuding Texan oil and cattle-ranching families, the next-generation Dallas update centres on John Ross and Christopher Ewing as they clash over the future of the family dynasty.

Star of 90210 Josh Henderson, who appeared as a child in the original series, will play John Ross, son of JR Ewing, while Desperate Housewives star Jesse Metcalfe will play Christopher, son of Bobby Ewing.

Fellow Housewives star Brenda Strong will also appear as Bobby's latest wife, with The Fast and The Furious star Jordana Brewster starring as a character involved in a love triangle with the Ewing cousins.

TNT will preview the new series on its network on Monday night.

The original Dallas ran from 1978 to 1991 on US network CBS and was also broadcast to huge UK audiences on the BBC.