The entertainment industry is buzzing with the news today that Cary Fukunaga, Emmy Award winning director of True Detective, will direct and executive produce the eagerly anticipated television drama series inspired by The Alienist, first announced by Paramount Television and Anonymous Content in April/May of last year. Oscar winning writer and producer Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) and Oscar nominated writer and director Hossein Amini (The Wings of the Dove) have also been named as executive producers. It is reported that Hossein Amini has written the pilot, and will go on to write the series.
Paramount Television’s President Amy Powell and Anonymous Content’s Steve Golin and Rosalie Swedlin were quoted by Variety on this exciting development:
“‘The Alienist‘ is a fascinating and distinctive, fast-paced psychological thriller that is wonderfully evocative of the unrivaled Gilded Age of New York City,” said Paramount Television President Amy Powell. “Cary Fukunaga’s unique vision and ability to render compelling, distinctive and superbly atmospheric direction is the perfect voice for this television series. We are thrilled to have not only Cary’s expert direction, but also the creativity, imagination and storytelling abilities of the supremely talented Eric Roth and Hossein Amini.”
“We are thrilled that Paramount has entrusted us and our brilliant creative dream team — Eric Roth, Hossein Amini, and Cary Fukunaga — to bring this much beloved, bestselling novel to the screen,” said Anonymous Content’s Steve Golin and Rosalie Swedlin, who will also executive produce the series. “The multi-episodic format will enable us to do justice to the complexity of Caleb Carr’s storytelling and his vivid and detailed portrait of late 19th century New York in all its splendor and grittiness.”
Photo Credit: “Cary Fukunaga2009” by Johan Gunnarsson – Flickr: Cary Fukunaga. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
I am so happy to hear this! I look forward to learning more as the series progresses.
I agree, a very exciting development! As always, I’ll be posting any additional news as it comes to hand.
Excellent. All they need now is McConaughey with a Bowery accent and they’ll be set.
Now that would be something to see. I wonder when we’ll hear about casting? I’d still love to see Christoph Waltz as Kreizler. I don’t know how likely it is that we would see him go to television, but (IMO) he’d be perfect for the part.
Very exciting, and I’m really looking forward to seeing this. I imagined Viggo Mortensen as Kreizler. I hope they consider making Mr. Carr a consultant on the project.
I agree, I hope Mr. Carr will be (or already is) a consultant on the project. I was pleased to see Anonymous Content’s recent statement that the multi episode format will enable them “to do justice to the complexity of Caleb Carr’s storytelling,” but it would still be nice to know that he’s approved of the script and is happy with the creative decisions they’re making.
I am so excited with this news! The Alienist is one of my favorite books and as I’m reading Angel of Darkness now I keep wondering why these books were never brought to the screen. Can’t wait to hear more about the project.