Patrick Swayze, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March, is heading back to work.
A&E has ordered 13 episodes of his new series The Beast, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Swayze plays an unorthodox FBI veteran who trains a new partner (Tarzan star Travis Fimmel) while being pursued by a secret Internal Affairs team.
The show (which premieres in 2009) is set to go into production this summer in Chicago.
A&E execs told the Reporter that the actor's doctors have cleared him to resume work.
"I have searched for quite a long time to find a character that is this multi-layered, unpredictable and downright entertaining, as well as a project this current and cutting-edge," Swayze said in a statement. /USmagazine/