George Clooney’s ‘Good Night, And Good Luck’ Series Adaptation Opens Writers’ Room At AMC
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Good Night, And Good Luck, the 2005 feature film directed by and starring George Clooney, is being adapted for the small screen.
AMC Networks is developing a series based on the movie and has opened a writers’ room as part of its scripts-to-series model. Jonathan Glatzer, a writer/producer on series including AMC’s Better Call Saul and HBO’s Succession, will lead the room and serve as showrunner on the project.
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Good Night, And Good Luck is one of three projects as part of AMC Networks’ latest tranche of scripts-to-series batch. Deadline revealed in September that the network had opened rooms for Seconds, a radical reimagining of the cult classic with a female lead at its center, and psychological horror story The Devil In Silver, envisioned as the first installment in a potential anthology franchise.
The model sees the company open the writers’ rooms to develop prospective shows, including generating multiple scripts, for straight-to-series consideration. The two projects that AMC commissioned writers’ rooms for last year, Invitation to a Bonfire and Demascus, both went to series.
The black-and-white film told the story of the battle between CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow, played by David Strathairn, and U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy over the latter’s anti-Communist actions. It also starred Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson and Frank Langella.
The series, which could be for AMC or sister streamer AMC+, will be an origin story of the conflict centered around the newsmen and women who worked alongside Murrow amid a post-war climate of fear and hysteria. It will follow Sy Steingartner, a young cameraman for Murrow’s See It Now, who is forced to juggle his admiration for Murrow with his own ambition. With the CBS brass pushing an anti-Communist Loyalty Oath on Murrow and his staff, Sy has an opportunity to rise straight to the top, but only by betraying his mentor in the process. With wit and keen observation, the series confronts how we respond to chaos and the values that pull us through.
The drama, which will feature six episodes if it goes to series, will be produced by AMC Studios with Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse, Participant and 2929 Productions. The latter trio produced the movie.
Glatzer will executive produce alongside Clooney, Heslov and, Mark Cuban, Todd Wagner and Haley Jones for 2929 Productions and Jeff Skoll and Miura Kite for Participant. Rebecca Arzoian is co-executive producer for Smokehouse Pictures. Heslov will direct the first episode.
“As a massive fan of the movie, I didn’t want to copy it, or just do a facsimile of it. So, we’ve expanded the world to show how the division and hysteria of the times seeped into every aspect of daily life,” said Jonathan Glatzer. “I suppose it’s more of an origin story of where we are today.”
“AMC is known for intriguing, deep-rooted characters that leap off the screen and into the cultural zeitgeist. Sy Steingartner fits right in with AMC’s icons, and we are excited to develop the character and series,” added Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “We’re huge fans of Jonathan’s expert storytelling gifts, George and Grant’s producing prowess, Grant’s directing skills, and the vigorous talents of Mark, Todd and Jeff, and we’re elated to work with all in this new endeavor.”
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