Nearly two decades after its Oscar love, George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck is potentially headed for a prestige AMC makeover as a series. The film, which explored broadcast journalism’s infancy through the lens of Edward R. Murrow’s righteous takedown of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s witch hunt for communists, was directed by Clooney from a script by producing partner Grant Heslov. According to IndieWire, Heslov is set to direct the first episode with Succession writer Jonathan Glatzer acting as showrunner.
Currently in development, if greenlighted by AMC, the series will go straight to series with six episodes in its first season. This version focuses on a fictional cameraman for Murrow’s news and opinion show who is torn between Murrow’s ideals and the potential for career advancement in an anti-commie CBS.
“As a massive fan of the movie, I didn’t want to copy it, or just do a facsimile of it,” Glatzer told IndieWire. “So, we’ve expanded the world to show how the division and hysteria of the times seeped into every aspect of daily life. I suppose it’s more of an origin story of where we are today.”
Making a series about journalism in an era of preening politicians and anti-commie scare tactics would have to work hard not to feel like a commentary on our current situation. Clooney’s movie was a straight arrow, buttoned all the way up to the top, but it feels right that someone from the wild jungles of Succession is the one to craft an update.
(via IndieWire)