The 'American Horror Story' creator will direct the TV movie adaptation of the Tony-winning play for a 2014 premiere, with Mark Ruffalo and Matt Bomer also in the cast.
- Jan 5, 2013
AceShowbiz - Ryan Murphy and HBO are teaming up to bring Tony-winning play "The Normal Heart" onto the small screen. The "Nip/Tuck" and "Glee" creator is set to serve on the helm of the telepic which is slated to premiere on the premium cable channel in 2014.
Julia Roberts, Mark Ruffalo and Matthew Bomer are lined up in the cast ensemble of the TV movie, which is adapted by original playwright Larry Kramer. "Eat, Pray, Love" actress Roberts will play Dr. Emma Brookner, the paraplegic physician who treats several of the earliest victims.
The Hulk of "The Avengers", Ruffalo, will portray Ned Weeks, a man who witnesses first-hand the mysterious disease that claims the lives of many. "White Collar" and "Magic Mike" hottie Bomer, meanwhile, will take on a role of a reporter who becomes Ned's lover.
HBO programming president Michael Lombardo states, "We are so proud to be involved with this monumental project. Ryan has assembled an extraordinary cast to bring Larry Kramer's landmark theatrical achievement to the screen for the first time, and we couldn't be more thrilled to bring this important film to HBO."
"Normal Heart" tells the story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s, taking an unflinching look at the nation's sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fought to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city in denial.
The groundbreaking play debuted at New York's Public Theatre in 1985 and won three prizes at 2011 Tony Awards.
The TV movie adaptation will reunite Roberts with Murphy, who directed the Oscar-winning actress in 2010's "Eat, Pray, Love". The "American Horror Story" creator also serves as executive producer with Jason Blum ("The Reader"), Dede Gardner ("Eat, Pray, Love") and Dante Di Loreto ("Glee", "Temple Grandin").
