Apparently the lunacy of the 2016 Presidential Election wasn’t dramatic enough. Apparently the wall-to-wall coverage that escalated into the most mind-boggling race ever still has content to be mined, because an eight to ten episode drama series based on the election is coming.
Why this needs to be made, and how it’s going to remain compelling when everyone watching lived through the actual reality, is a fair question. The counter argument to that is, people will watch. Mark Boal, already mentioned in one article today, certainly thinks so, as the Zero Dark Thirty writer is teaming with Annapurna Pictures producer, Megan Ellison, to craft a political drama based on the election.
Boal is planning to make his directorial debut with the series, and is currently assembling investigatory journalists to help with his research, much like he did with the two films he wrote that were eventually directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the aforementioned Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker. He also wrote the script for Bigelow’s upcoming, as yet untitled film based on the Detroit riots.
Boal has proven himself adept at going truly in-depth on the subjects he writes about, though it’s fair to wonder if even ten hours is long enough to truly dive deep into all the layers that surrounded the election.
We saw the success American Crime Story: The People Vs OJ Simpson had with viewers, but that real life event is now decades old and thus easier to ruminate on so many years later. If you thought we’d somehow escape the ubiquity of the current political climate through escapism TV, you’d be wrong. Unless of course you don’t watch the show. But you will.
#Peace.Love.Election
