‘The Hellfire Club’: HBO Max Developing Adaptation Of Jake Tapper Novel With ‘The Revenant’s Mark L. Smith

Peter White
·2 min read

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EXCLUSIVE: HBO Max is developing an adaptation of The Hellfire Club, the first novel by CNN’s Jake Tapper, with The Revenant co-writer Mark L. Smith.

The deal marks a nice bit of corporate synergy at WarnerMedia with Tapper, one of its news channel’s most high-profile anchors on shows such as The Lead and The State of the Union, and sister streamer HBO Max.

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The digital platform, which is set to launch on May 27, has ordered a script of the project, which will be adapted and exec produced by Smith. Tapper will also exec produce alongside Syndicate Entertainment’s Cliff Roberts.

The book, which was published by Little Brown in 2018, tells the story of Charlie Marder, a young Freshman Congressman who arrives in 1950s Washington D.C. after the mysterious death of his predecessor. Finding himself thrust into the dangerous waters of politics at the height of Joe McCarthy’s “Red Scare”, he and his zoologist wife Margaret must quickly learn who is friend and who is foe. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful political leaders and deal makers, a mysterious fatal car accident thrusts Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a plot that could change the course of history. When Charlie discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of governance, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career, but for his life.

Tapper is represented by UTA, Mark L. Smith is represented by Syndicate Entertainment, Anonymous Content and lawyer Mark Temple.

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