Reuters reports that Joel Silver, producer of such action movie franchises as "The Matrix" and "Lethal Weapon," has partnered with NBC in an attempt to find "The Next Action Star."

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The 10-episode reality series will follow producers as they hold a casting search to find potential male and female stars with "that indefinable 'it' factor." The winners will star in a Silver-produced NBC TV movie, tentatively titled "Hit Me." Silver will serve as an executive producer of the series, which is targeting a likely summer 2003 launch.

The series will kick off with a nationwide hunt for prospective stars, who will eventually be narrowed down to 12 finalists. The contestants will then move to Hollywood, where they'll be given acting, training and combat lessons in addition to receiving "star treatment" (such as limos and fancy clothes). Contestants will be eliminated at the end of each episode after competing in a series of stunt action sequences. The final winners -- one man, one woman -- will star in the "Hit Me" picture, which will also double as "The Next Action Star's" series finale.