The project, about an NBA rookie who doesn't speak English and a translator who doesn't speak basketball, is scripted by David Windsor and Casey Johnson.

Astin will star as Jason, a sweet and slightly wimpy guy who is hired as the translator for Mo, a new recruit from Botswana. John Fortenberry will direct the pilot.

Dan Fogelman will executive produce the project (from ABC Studios, Rhode Island Ave. Productions, Mandalay Sports Media, Kapital Entertainment and the NBA) alongside Mike Tollin, Peter Guber and Aaron Kaplan.

In other ABC television news, Deadline reports that "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg has been offered to co-star opposite Jermaine Fowler in ABC's multi-camera comedy pilot "Delores & Jermaine."

Written by comedian Fowler (along with Danny Chun) and based on his life, "Delores & Jermaine" will star Fowler as a millennial who moves in with his estranged grandmother (Goldberg), a former D.C. cop.

Goldberg will executive produce the project, from ABC Studios, along with her partner Tom Leonardis, Chun and 3 Arts' Michael Rotenberg; Fowler co-executive produces.