Filmmaker Fincher building "House" for small screen

LOS ANGELES  – Filmmaker David Fincher has teamed with Media Rights Capital for a television series, the political drama "House of Cards."

Based on the book and British miniseries of the same name, "Cards" will be adapted for U.S. audiences as an hourlong drama, with Fincher ("Zodiac," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") executive producing with "Button" writer Eric Roth.

The political-thriller novel by Michael Dobbs, former Conservative Party chief of staff, is set at the end of Margaret Thatcher's tenure as prime minister and follows a British politician with his eye on the top job.

In 1990, it was adapted by the BBC as a miniseries written by Andrew Davies and starring Ian Richardson. It went on to win a BAFTA award for Richardson and an Emmy for Davies.

MRC and Fincher's adaptation will be set in the U.S. but maintain focus on issues of political ambition and blackmail.

The project is expected to be shopped to networks soon.

MRC's slate of TV series include "The Life and Times of Tim" on HBO, "Rita Rocks" on Lifetime, "Shaq Vs." on ABC and HBO's upcoming "The Ricky Gervais Show."