MUMBAI: American Girl , the line of period dolls from Mattel, is coming to life as a series of TV movies for the WB network courtesy Julia Roberts. Christopher Reeve will also return to WB's Smallville as Dr Virgil Swann. In India, the show airs on Star World.

 
A USA Today report says that a holiday-themed movie based on the doll Samantha will air on the network in November. The programme initiative is in line with the broadcaster's decision to concentrate on young women and girls.

Mattel will provide inputs on casting and scripts. It also plans to release a DVD version shortly after its WB premiere. In India, animation movies based on its toy Barbie have aired on Cartoon Network.

Another report in Reuters indicated that reality themed shows will be a part of the lineup. They include The Surreal Life which is a version of MTV's Real World.

The report has also stated that the nine year old network, owned by Time Warner and Tribune has announced that cable veteran Tana Nugent Jamieson will be in charge of original movie programming. As a senior VP for programming and made-for-TV movies, she will report to WB's executive vice president for drama development, Carolyn Bernstein.