Baltimore is once again taking center stage for an upcoming television production this spring.

20th Television will film the pilot episode for The Spook Who Sat By The Door, based on Sam Greenlee’s fictional spy novel of the same name, in Maryland.

Baltimore will serve as the backdrop for a 1960’s based Washington, D.C. The Maryland Film Office, as well as the Baltimore Film Office, are assisting with the transformation.

If picked up for a full series, the FX pilot has the potential to impact Maryland’s economy similar to Netflix’s House of Cards. During its six-season production in Maryland, House of Cards had an economic impact of $118 million and hired more than 2,000 Maryland residents for work. The production also utilized more than 2,000 Maryland businesses with purchases or rented goods/services per season.

The story follows character Dan Freeman, who in the late 1960’s is hired as the first Black operative in the CIA. It will be executive produced by Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels. The pilot was optioned through Daniels’ Inclusion Fund, and will be produced by 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television), one of the Disney Television Studios.

Read the full announcement