AMC has given the go-ahead for a conspiracy thriller called Rubicon, bringing the number of original dramas on the cable channel to three.

Rubicon, which has been in development for more than a year, comes from writer Jason Horwitch (Medical Investigation, FX’s Pentagon Papers movie) and features a cast that includes James Badge Dale, Miranda Richardson and Lili Taylor. AMC hasn’t set a premiere date yet, but it’s likely to hit the air sometime in 2010.

The series stars Dale (24, HBO’s The Pacific) as an analyst at a think tank whose work starts pointing to a global conspiracy. AMC greenlit the pilot last summer but then spent considerable time working out the show’s story line before shooting a pilot earlier this year.

“Jason’s understanding of the conspiracy thriller genre is evident in a plot reminiscent of some great films like Three Days of the Condor and The Parallax View,” says Joel Stillerman, head of original programming at AMC. “We’re thrilled to have a world-class cast, director and production team to bring this series to life.”

Sopranos veteran Allen Coulter directed the pilot. The cast also includes Jessica Collins (The Nine), Dallas Roberts (The L Word, 3:10 to Yuma), Lauren Hodges (In Treatment), Christopher Evan Welch (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Paul Butler (Reign Over Me) and Arliss Howard (Natural Born Killers).

Source: Zap2It