Capote, with Scott Wilson and Robert Blake, on the set of 'In Cold Blood' in 1967
A few of the greybeards among us may still remember those bygone days of 2006, when the world had two competing Truman Capote biopics – Capote, for which Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Oscar (it remains that the Academy can’t recognize acting unless they have a real person to compare it to), and the superior but lesser-known Infamous, starring Toby Jones. Both dealt with Truman Capote and the psychological toll of writing In Cold Blood, his best-selling “non-fiction novel” published in 1966 that’s frequently cited as starting the true crime genre.
And with Serial and The Jinx reaching cultural phenomenon status in the past year, The Weinstein Company apparently thought hey, why not revisit a classic?
The Weinstein Company has optioned television rights to Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” with plans to make a TV event series.
Gary Oldman and Douglas Urbanski’s Flying Studios will produce the project, and screenwriter Kevin Hood is set to pen the script.
“Truman Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood’ has been riveting audiences since it first hit the literary scene almost fifty years ago, and it continues to have that same thrilling, timeless appeal today,” commented Harvey Weinstein. “We are extremely excited to be partnering with Gary, Doug and the whole Flying Studios team to bring what’s sure to be an unbelievable series to TV viewers.”
The 1966 novel was last adapted for television in 1996 with a telepic starring Anthony Edwards, Eric Roberts and Sam Neill. The iconic story has been given the silver screen treatment three times, first in 1967 starring Robert Blake and Scott Wilson. In 2005, “Capote” won the late Philip Seymour Hoffman the Oscar for best actor, and in 2006, “Infamous,” starring Toby Jones as the author, was released. [Variety]
Oh hey, remember when I said “why not revisit a classic?” That wasn’t a rhetorical question, and I think that last paragraph of the blockquote contained some good answers. It’s not like no one’s gotten murdered since 1966. For instance, you know that one guy who starred in the first In Cold Blood movie? He even killed somebody. There are other murders is all I’m saying.