AMC, which is moving aggressively into the original programming business, announced a handful of new development deals.

AMC, the leading basic-cable movie channel, last week launched its first original series, “Mad Men,” to strong ratings. The channel announced it will launch its second original series, “Breaking Bad,” in January.

The new development deals are:

• “The Things They Carried,” a miniseries based on Tim O’Brien’s book of that name, a collection of stories about an American platoon in the Vietnam war. James Sadwith is writing the teleplay for the Fox Television Studios production.

• “Cutman,” a one-hour dramatic series set in the world of boxing, drawn from short stories by F.X. Toole, on whose work “Million Dollar Baby” was based. Nick Grillo and Ernest Dickerson are the executive producers, with Dickerson directing from a script by Dennis O’Neil.

Two other projects are untitled.

One is a political thriller set in a Washington, D.C., think tank, from writer/executive producer Jason Horwitch and executive producer Joshua Mauer.

The other is a basketball-themed dramatic series that looks at the on- and off-court worlds of the pros. Mark Canton and former NBA player Rick Fox are executive producers. Writers are Bettina Gilois and Chris Cleveland.

“AMC has rapidly defined a unique programming blueprint coupling cinematic originals with enduring, iconic movies,” said Rob Sorcher, executive VP of programming and production for AMC. “It’s clear that the creative community has quickly embraced our mission to deliver the future of classic.”

AMC also has a number of previously announced development deals in the work, including several series and miniseries.

(Editor: Horowitz)