On Friday George Santos’ D.C. misadventures came to an end: The fabulist lawmaker was expelled from Congress in a landslide vote — the first time that’s happened in 20 years. What’s next for the guy who lied about his mother dying in the September 11 attacks? Will he pull a no-brainer and wind up on Dancing with the Stars? Whatever he does, he’s already getting a movie.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO Films has optioned the rights to Mark Chiusano’s The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos. The book came out on November 28, a mere three days before the guy who claimed to have produced one of Broadway’s biggest bombs was booted from the job he lied to get. Perhaps the paperback edition will include a coda covering that and whatever other tomfoolery he gets up to in the ensuing months.
The movie, though, sounds like it will take a more narrow focus, telling, per THR:
“the story of a seemingly minor local race that wound up a battle for the soul of Long Island, and unexpectedly carved the path for the world’s most famous (and now disgraced) congressman. The Gatsby-esque journey of a man from nowhere who exploited the system, waged war on truth and swindled one of the wealthiest districts in the country to achieve his American Dream.”
The film comes from Succession executive producer Frank Rich and will be written by Bad Education’s Mike Makowsky. As it turns out, Hollywood has already made a film that sounds an awful lot like Santos’ shady rise. It starred Eddie Murphy.
It’s a big time for movies about far right demons. Last week many were appalled when they learned hot chameleon Sebastian Stan had been cast as no less than non-hot Donald Trump.
(Via THR)