Founding Fathers': ABC Set to Air Texas-Based 'Militia' Drama

According to Deadline Hollywood, ABC will soon be breaking new ground with its original programming.  Well-known for its hits like "Dancing With the Stars," "Lost," and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," ABC is now reportedly creating a show about... a Texas-based militia.

(Related: Militia on Trial: 'Good Ol' Boys' and Preppers, or Anti-Gov't Domestic Terrorists?)

ABC reportedly bought the pitch-- called "Founding Fathers" -- from Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Dan McDermott, two former studio executives who were involved in the launching of movies like "The Matrix," "Spin City," and "Transformers."

Deadline Hollywood adds:

Written by feature scribe Rich D’Ovidio (Exit Woods, Thir13en Ghosts), Founding Fathers is described as “Donnie Brasco set in the world of Texas militias.”  It centers on Nick Keating who, after serving a third tour in Afghanistan, returns home to find his small Texas town under the control of a militia group led by his older foster brother. After being seduced by the militia’s surprisingly community-based motives, he accepts a rare invitation to join the group. But unbeknownst to his new “family,” Nick has a secret agenda that will put his life in jeopardy and lead him to question his allegiances.  [Emphasis added]

For those who don't recall, "Donnie Brasco" was a 1997 film about an FBI agent who infiltrated the mob, only to find himself "identifying more with the mafia life [at] the expense of his regular one," according to IMDB.

Here is the "Donnie Brasco" trailer (content warning):

But many commenters -- while intrigued by the project-- are skeptical of how ABC will present it.

Will it make all gun-owners look like fanatics?  Will it be a thinly-veiled piece to show extreme right wingers as domestic terrorists, like Timothy McVeigh?  And why is it called Founding Fathers?  Will it be dragging their name through the mud, too?

Or, will it actually be a unique work, innovative and intriguing enough to hold the attention of both sides?

One commenter noted that the higher-ups within ABC have continued to employ Brian Ross, who leaped to connect the Aurora, Colorado massacre with a Tea Party supporter.

Another simply said: "A small Texas town under control by 'Texas militia'? Not very believable... A small Texas town under control by 'Mexican drug cartel'?  Already there, but we can’t have everybody seeing that on [television], can we?"