New 'Vanderpump Rules' Spin-off Films Pilot at Lisa Vanderpump's Restaurant

Lisa Vanderpump is ready to SUR-ve up some drama with a new cast of characters ... TMZ has learned cameras have picked up at her restaurant for a new project.

Sources familiar with the project tell TMZ … production crews have been filming a possible new show at LVP's West Hollywood hot spot, SUR, the last couple of weeks.

We're told the cast for the pilot is made up of entirely new faces, all of whom are employees at SUR -- much like how "Vanderpump Rules" first started with Tom Sandoval, Stassi Schroeder, Jax Taylor, Scheana Shay, among others, in 2013.

None of the current 'VPR' cast members are set to appear in the new project ... but sources say the pilot hasn't even been officially picked up.

So, fans of the original 'Pump Rules' series shouldn't fret ... as, if the show is greenlit, it will be considered a spin-off -- not a reboot.

In fact, we're told "Vanderpump Rules" is still planning to return for season 12 and will begin production this fall ... months after it was put on pause amid growing drama among the cast.

We're also told producers may simply be testing SUR employees in this pilot to see if any of them could work well for the upcoming season.

LVP has a number of projects in the works right now ... season 2 of "The Valley" was filmed this summer, Stassi joined the cast of Hulu's "Vanderpump Villa," and season 12 of 'VPR' is about to begin filming.