Big Bang spinoff said to be in works

A prequel spinoff of TV’s top-rated comedy, The Big Bang Theory, is in development, according to reports from Deadline Hollywood and the Hollywood Reporter.

Deadline says the new comedy would be titled Sheldon and would centre on a 12-year-old version of Sheldon Cooper, the idiosyncratic genius played by Emmy winner Jim Parsons on the CBS hit. A script has not been written, the report says.

Bang co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, and executive producer Steven Molaro, who oversees day-to-day operation of the show, are said to be involved in developing the new show, as is Parsons, the Hollywood Reporter says.

No other cast members are in- volved in the prequel.

Neither CBS, home of Bang (which also airs on CTV Thursdays at 8 p.m.), nor Warner Bros. Television, which produces the series, would comment on the reports.

Talk of a spinoff takes place as Bang’s future remains to be determined. The show’s current deal expires after this season and new contracts would have to be negotiated with actors Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco and their castmates, who are expected to seek raises.

According to Deadline, the two shows could coexist on the same schedule.

In August, CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller said he would like Bang to extend beyond Season 10 and actors told USA Today they were interested in continuing the series.