J.J. Abrams Back In the Spy Business for NBC

"Alias" creator and "Mission: Impossible" director J.J. Abrams is getting back into the spy business, teaming with writer Josh Reims ("Felicity") for an action-adventure-romance series that generated bids from three networks.

ABC, CBS and NBC all expressed strong interest in the project, which was delivered to the networks as a spec script written by Abrams and Reims. Networks were asked to deliver their best offers earlier this week; Warner Bros. TV, where Abrams' Bad Robot is based, is still in talks with possible buyers.

UPDATE: NBC appears to have snatched up the project after some late-night negotiating. The Peacock agreed to a rich deal for the show, people familiar with the talks said. That likely means there will be significant penalties attached at the pilot and series stages of development.

People familiar with the script describe the Abrams- Reims project as a "fun romp" in the vein of past classic TV spy adventures. The two main characters are spies who are also married and deeply in love.

Abrams and Reims have worked together before on "Felicity" and the Abrams-produced "What About Brian." More recently, Reims has worked on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" and "Dirty Sexy Money."

Bad Robot recently sold a half-hour comedy to Fox, with Abrams exec producing a script from writer Mike Markowitz.

Abrams, Reims and Bad Robot's Bryan Burk are on board to executive produce the new hour.

WME reps Abrams.