Michael J. Fox is planning a return to series TV, more than a decade after he left to concentrate on fighting Parkinson's disease.

The Edmonton-born actor, who first gained fame in the 1980s sitcom Family Ties and later headlined Spin City, will star in a comedy that's in development at Sony Pictures Television for 2013, according to people with knowledge of the project.

Michael J. Fox is shown June 15 at a speaking engagement in Lowell, Mass. Fox is planning a return to TV sitcom, sources told Associated Press. Michael J. Fox is shown June 15 at a speaking engagement in Lowell, Mass. Fox is planning a return to TV sitcom, sources told Associated Press. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)

The people, who lacked authority to publicly discuss the matter, spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity. The project has drawn strong interest from the major networks, they said.

The actor's publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sony declined comment.

Fox, 51, who starred in the hit Back to the Future movie franchise, is working with Will Gluck, director of the film Easy A, and writer Sam Laybourne, whose credits include Cougar Town and Arrested Development, according to sources.

The actor, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991, left Spin City in 2000 and said he intended to focus on helping find a cure for the disease. He started a foundation, which bears his name, to fund research toward that goal.

Although he reduced his workload because of Parkinson's, Fox has made guest appearances on TV series including Rescue Me, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Good Wife.

In May, Fox told ABC News that a new drug regimen has helped him control the tics that are a result of the disease and allowed him to take on more acting roles.

The new Sony project was first reported by the entertainment website Vulture.