A TV adaptation of George Clooney’s 2005 broadcast-news drama “Good Night, and Good Luck” is in development at AMC, the network announced Thursday.
A writers’ room has been opened, and in the event of pickup, the show will go straight-to-series for a six-episode first season. Emmy-winning “Succession” and “Better Call Saul” writer Jonathan Glatzer will serve as the showrunner, while Grant Heslov, who co-wrote the original film’s screenplay, is attached to direct the first episode.
The “Good Night, and Good Luck” movie focused on the early days of American broadcast journalism, starring David Strathairn as CBS news hot Edward R. Murrow. The film, which depicted Murrow’s criticism of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy during his anti-communist investigations, also starred Clooney, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., and Frank Langella. The film received critical acclaim and got six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Clooney.
The series is set to focus on an original character, Sy Steingartner, a young cameraman for Murrow’s “See It Now” program, as he juggles his personal loyalty to the journalist with his desire to further his own career by embracing CBS’ push for anti-Communist news programming.
“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,” Glatzer said in a statement shared with IndieWire. “I suppose it’s more of an origin story of where we are today.”
In the event of a series order, AMC Studios will produce “Good Night, and Good Luck” with Participant and 2929 Productions, the production companies behind the original film, as well as Clooney and Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures banner. Clooney and Heslov executive produce for Smokehouse; Rebecca Arzoian co-executive produces. Mark Cuban, Todd Wagner, and Haley Jones executive produce for 2929 Productions, and Jeff Skoll and Miura Kite executive produce for Participant. Glatzer also executive produces. AMC Networks will hold the exclusive worldwide rights to the series.
“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,” AMC Studios President Dan McDermott said in a statement. “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.”
