TV executive-turned-screenwriter Dan McDermott has been tapped to pen an updated version of “Charlie Chan” for 20th Century Fox.

Lucy Liu is attached to star and executive produce the long-gestating project, which centers on the granddaughter of the fictional Chinese-American detective.

“It’s a reinvention of the franchise that credibly passes on the baton to Lucy Liu as the lead character and lead of the franchise,” McDermott said.

A former executive at Fox Broadcasting, McDermott also ran DreamWorks Television for six years. His film writing credits include “Selling Time,” which he sold to Fox 2000, and “Soylent Green” — a remake of the 1973 Charlton Heston starrer — which he sold to Warner Bros. Pictures. He also is writing “The Omen 666″ for Fox.

“I want to do something that is reality-based, global, filled with intrigue,” McDermott said about “Charlie Chan.” “Tonally, we are in the world of ‘The Bourne Identity’ and ‘The Da Vinci Code’ — those kind of movies.” source