NBC is paying big bucks for a half-hour comedy project from a former speechwriter for President Obama and Book of Mormon star Josh Gad. The network has given a pilot commitment to 1600 Penn, a single-camera comedy that studio 20th Century Fox TV describes as revolving around “a dysfunctional family that just happens to live at the most famous address in America.†(So it’s Arrested Development … in the White House?) The project will be written by Jon Lovett, the ex-Obama scribe who was voted “Funniest Celebrity in DC†last year and just last month was the subject of a glowing Washington Post profile detailing his plans for Hollywood domination. (Perhaps he got some pointers from former White House colleague Kal Penn?) Gad and Lovett will co-create and exec produce 1600 Penn together, with Jason Winer (Modern Family) onboard to direct. While NBC’s deal doesn’t guarantee production of a pilot, let alone a series green light, the network has agreed to pay a substantial penalty to 20th if a pilot isn’t produced, thus making it very likely this will move forward. Gad, meanwhile, is keeping busy in between Mormon performances: Last month, he sold a comedy project to the Peacock in conjunction with Will Ferrell’s Gary Sanchez Productions and signed on to the upcoming Gwyneth Paltrow comedy Thanks for Sharing.