'Wag the Dog' TV Series Is in the Works on HBO
TV

Barry Levinson, who directed the 1997 political satire film, is set to direct the comedy series should it move to pilot, with Rajiv Joseph writing the script.

AceShowbiz - HBO is developing another political satire drama in addition to "Veep" and "The Brink". The premium cable network is reportedly gearing up for a half-hour TV comedy adaptation of 1997's political satire "Wag the Dog".

Oscar-winner Barry Levinson, who directed the original film, is set to executive produce and helm the potential pilot, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph ("Draft Day", "My America", "Army of One") is attached to pen the adaptation for the network. Joseph will also executive produce alongside Levinson, Tom Fontana and Jason Sosnoff.

Robert De Niro is also on board the series as executive producer along with Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh via De Niro's Tribeca Productions, which will produce the adaptation. Meanwhile, David Brock is set to be a consultant.

HBO describes its new take on the political satire flick as "an ode to the classic film but moving the weapons of mass distraction beyond politics and into business, entertainment and, yes, nonprofits. In the 21st century with the tools of social media at their hands, nothing is off limits to a small group of operators when it comes to manufacturing reality. Fake news is so yesterday."

The 1997 movie follows a political strategist (De Niro) who hires a Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman) to create a fictional war scenario to distract people's attention from the president's sexual harassment scandal. "Wag the Dog" nabbed Oscar nominations for Hoffman and screenwriter David Mamet and grossed $64.3 million globally.

Follow AceShowbiz.com @ Google News

You can share this post!

You might also like