The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

DEADLINE: Sean Penn In Early Talks To Join Mel Gibson In ‘Professor And The Madman’

Sean Penn is in early talks to board Mel Gibson’s long-gestating Professor and the Madman, an adaptation of Simon Winchester’s bestseller about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Gibson has been working to adapt the book for the best part of two decades. Voltage Pictures has come on-board to finance and sell. Gibson’s Apocalypto writer Farhad Safinia, who also penned the script, will direct. Bruce Davey, Gibson’s longtime partner at Icon, is producing.

Although he’s no longer directing. Gibson will play 19th century professor James Murray, who started to compile the Oxford English Dictionary. Penn will play Dr. W.C. Minor, who contributed thousands of entries to the hugely ambitious literary project but also was an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.

Gibson is on his way to an image rehabilitation. His buzzy World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge debuts this fall, starring Andrew Garfield as American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa and became the first Conscientious Objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Gibson also stars in the pulpy thriller Blood Father, which world premiered at Cannes. He is repped by Rick Nicita.

Penn remains one of America’s most respected and celebrated character actor-cum-leading men, even if his latest directorial effort The Last Face endured a critical beatdown following its Cannes premiere. He is repped by CAA.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

DEADLINE: ‘Spotlight’s Tom McCarthy To Direct & Produce Selena Gomez’s Netflix Series ‘13 Reasons Why’ From Paramount TV

In his follow-up to his Oscar-nominated feature Spotlight, helmer Tom McCarthy is set to direct the first two episodes of Selena Gomez’s Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, from Anonymous Content and Paramount TV. McCarthy also will executive produce the 13-episode series, based on the 2007 New York Times bestselling YA book by Jay Asher.

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Brian Yorkey created and wrote the TV series adaptation, which follows a boy named Clay through an emotional night when he receives a shoe box of cassette tapes from his late classmate and crush Hannah, after she recently committed suicide. On the tapes, which are mailed with instructions to pass along from one student to another, Hannah explains to 12 peers how they each played a role in her death, by giving 13 reasons explaining why she took her life.

McCarthy and Gomez, who is currently not attached to act, executive produce alongside Yorkey and Anonymous Content’s Joy Gorman, Michael Sugar and Steve Golin, as well as Mandy Teefey and producer Kristel Laiblin who, along with Gomez, originally found the book and brought it to Anonymous Content for a screen adaptation.

Golin, who was a producer on Spotlight, brought the project to McCarthy. Yorkey also has ties with McCarthy. The two have been developing a musical adaptation of The Visitor for Broadway, based on McCarthy’s feature about a widower who befriends a Syrian immigrant in post-9/11 New York City.

McCarthy’s most recent film Spotlight, which he co-wrote with Josh Singer, was nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay (for McCarthy and Singer). The film, which was released in the U.S. by Open Road Films, has been one of this awards season’s top contenders, winning for best original screenplay at the BAFTAs and best ensemble at the SAG Awards and receiving a number of  critics groups’ best picture of the year honors.

McCarthy, who began his career as an actor, segued to filmmaking with his critically acclaimed first feature, 2003’s The Station Agent, which won the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival, BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay and two Independent Spirit Awards.

He is repped by Gersh. Gomez is repped by WME and Lighthouse Management and Media

Wolf Boys by Dan Slater

VARIETY: TriStar Lands Cartel Book ‘Wolf Boys’; Antoine Fuqua Attached to Direct

Following a competitive auction, TriStar Pictures has won the rights to the Mexican cartel book “Wolf Boys” with Antoine Fuqua attached to direct and produce.

Written by Dan Slater, the book follows two American teens recruited as killers for a Mexican cartel, and their pursuit by a Mexican-American detective who realizes the War on Drugs is unwinnable.

Insiders have described the book as “Goodfellas” in the Mexican cartel landscape. Given the sudden interest in cartels following the arrest of drug kingpin El Chapo, the book was in high demand after coming on the market last week.

Fuqua’s deal is still be worked out but the choice seems spot-on since his credits include “Training Day” and “The Equalizer.”

The book will be released by Simon & Schuster later this year.

Fuqua is in post-production on “The Magnificent Seven” starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt.

He is repped by CAA.

Lawyer-turned-journalist Dan Slater's WOLF BOYS, a narrative account of Mexico's drug cartels, told through the stories of several teenage operatives and the homicide detective in pursuit of them, to Tristar Pictures with Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY, THE EQUALIZER) attached to direct, by Sean Daily at Hotchkiss and Associates on behalf of Farley Chase at Chase Literary Agency.

The Fireman by Joe Hill

Deadline: Fox Ignites Deal For Joe Hill Novel ‘The Fireman’; Louis Leterrier Attached To Direct

EXCLUSIVE: Fox has acquired Joe Hill’s forthcoming novel The Fireman, and has attached Louis Leterrier to direct. He’s the Transporter helmer who last directed Now You See Me. It would be easy to call this a hot package, about a worldwide pandemic of spontaneous combustion that will reduce civilization to ashes unless it can be stopped by an improbable group of heroes led by an enigmatic man known as The Fireman. It’s no simple blaze: the condition starts as an inky stripe on a bodypart, looking like a tattoo. It’s a highly contagious deadly spore that eventually causes the sufferer to burst into flames. Millions are infected; among them is a nurse who treated numerous sufferers until they eventually perished, with the hospital burned to the ground. Pregnant, she finds herself infected with the spore. Knowing infected mothers have birthed healthy babies, she too is in a race against time. The book will be published May 17 by William Morrow. Temple Hill partners Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen are producing.

Hill just made a deal at AMC to develop a supernatural series based on his bestselling novel NOS4A2. His fantasy thriller Horns was made into a 2014 feature directed by Alex Aja that starred Daniel Radcliffe. Heart Shaped Box, bought originally by Warner Bros for producer Akiva Goldsman and writer/director Neil Jordan, is currently being redeveloped at Warner Bros. by Langley Park Productions. Hill’s supernatural comic series Locke & Key was first developed for TV, landing a pilot order at Fox, and then as a feature at Universal. It is currently being eyed again as a TV series. Last season, Hill wrote and executive produced Tales From The Darkside, a remake of the 1980s fantasy/horror anthology series, which was piloted by the CW.

Steve Asbell is the exec at Fox. Hill was repped in the deal by Sean Daily at Hotchkiss and Associates on behalf of The Choate Agency. Leterrier is repped by CAA and Management 360.

Pirates of Somalia by Jay Bahadur

DEADLINE: Bryan Buckley To Direct ‘Where The White Man Runs Away’ With ‘X-Men’s’ Evan Peters To Star

EXCLUSIVE: Commercial director Bryan Buckley, whose feature film debut The Bronze was the opening film at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and was bought by Relativity for $3M, will next direct a biographical comedy-drama based on a story in the New York Times‘ bestseller The Pirates Of Somalia from Jay Bahadur. The feature, titled Where The White Man Runs Away, will star American Horror Story‘s and X-Men‘s Evan Peters.

The Bronze was supposed to be released this month before Relativity’s financial mess pushed it back. Before the company filed bankruptcy, Sony Pictures Classics picked it up, terminating Relativity’s rights, thereby removing the film from the company’s assets before it filed for Chapter 11. It has yet to be slated for release.

Where The White Man Runs Away, which was also adapted by Buckley, tells the story of rookie Canadian journalist Bahadur, who in 2008 formed a half-baked plan to embed himself among the pirates of Somalia. He ultimately succeeded in providing the first close-up look into who these men are, how they live, and the forces that drive them. Bahadur famously interviewed the pirate that hijacked the Maersk Alabama before he took the ship, which was the subject of the Tom Hanks-starring film Captain Phillips.

Production begins this winter in South Africa with Hungry Man (Asad), BCDF Pictures, (The Outskirts) and Kalahari Film & Media (District 9) producing. Jane Rosenthal (Meet The Parents) will executive produce.

Before directing and executive producing The Bronze, Buckley was nominated for an Oscar for his short film Asad which also chronicles life in war-torn Somalia.

Buckley is also well known for his award-winning commercial work, specifically directing more than 50 spots for the Super Bowl, and his production outfit Hungry Man is one of the world’s largest commercial production companies. Mino Jarjoura and Matt Lefebvre will oversee production for Hungry Man which will produce.

Peters is best known for his work in FX’s American Horror Story. He currently portrays Mr. March in the fifth season, American Horror Story: Hotel. He will next be seen reprising his role as Quicksilver in X-Men: Apocalypse which will be released May 27, 2016. Earlier this year, Peters wrapped production on Elvis And Nixon alongside Kevin Spacey and Michael Shannon. Peters’ other film credits include Kick-Ass.

BCDF Pictures is also producing YA classic Stargirl this winter with Catherine Hardwicke directing and Joey King and Charlie Plummer starring. BCDF has high school comedy The Outskirts scheduled for wide release this winter. Its other upcoming projects include Peter Hutchings’ Arrivals with Asa Butterfield, Maisie Williams and Nina Dobrev.

Peters is repped by CAA, Relevant, and Ziffren Brittenham. Buckley is with WME, Untitled, and Bloom Hergott. BCDF is repped by Sheri Jeffrey at Hogan Lovells. Bahadur was repped in the deal by Sean Daily at Hotchkiss and Associates on behalf of Rick Broadhead and Associates.

Wizard of Lies by Diana Henriques

Deadline: HBO’s ‘Wizard Of Lies’ Madoff Movie A Go With Michelle Pfeiffer, Alessandro Nivola Joining Robert De Niro; Barry Levinson To Direct

HBO Films’ long-gestating Bernie Madoff movie, starring Robert De Niro as thedisgraced financier, is going ahead with a lead cast and a director. Joining De Niro, who plays Madoff, are Michelle Pfeiffer as his wife, Ruth Madoff, and Alessandro Nivola as Madoff’s older son Mark Madoff, who committed suicide. Barry Levinson, who directed the HBO Films movie about another controversial figure, You Don’t Know Jack, starring Al Pacino as Jack Kevorkian, is set to direct. He executive produces with Tribeca Prods’s De Niro and Jane Rosenthal as well as Berry Welsh. Jason Sosnoff is a co-executive producer.

Based on the book Wizard of Lies by Diana Henriques, with Truth and Consequences by Laurie Sandell as additional source material, Wizard of Lies is described as a look behind the scenes at Bernie Madoff’s massive Ponzi scheme, how it was perpetrated on the public and the trail of destruction it left in its wake, both for the victims and Madoff’s family.

The film, which tells the story of the imprisoned swindler and the $65 billion Ponzi scheme he concocted, had been in the works at HBO since 2011, when the network optioned Henriques’ book, attached De Niro to play Madoff and hired John Burnham Schwartz to write the script. A year later, HBO brought in a new writer, Sam Baum, and acquired Sandell’s book. There has been a third writer taking a stab at the script since, with Sam Levinson creditedas a writer on the movie alongside Baum and Schwartz.

Pfeiffer and Nivola are repped by Management 360 and CAA.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty

DEADLINE: Caitlin Doughty’s ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes’ In Works At Paramount TV 

Paramount TV and Anonymous Content are developing Caitlin Doughty’s bestselling memoir Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons From The Crematory as a pilot and potential series, with Nurse Jackie co-creator Evan Dunsky attached as writer and showrunner. Anonymous Content’s Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Rosalie Swedlin and Alex Goldstone will serve as executive producers, and Doughty will serve as a consulting producer.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes takes a behind-the-scenes look at Caitlin Doughty, a twentysomething mortician with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre who takes a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. Thrown into a profession of gallows humor and vivid characters — both living and very dead — Caitlin learns to navigate the secretive culture of those who care for the deceased. Now a licensed mortician with an alternative funeral practice, Caitlin argues that our fear of dying warps our culture and society, and she calls for better ways of dealing with death (and our dead).

“Caitlin is one of the most original literary voices of our day, and we take great pride in collaborating with her to create a show that explores her unique perspective on death with the same humorous and engaging style that defines her memoir,” said Amy Powell, President of Paramount Television. “We are also thrilled to be partnering with Evan and Anonymous Content on this project. Evan is an enormous talent, and it was clear from the moment he met Caitlin they were kindred spirits who share the same vision and passion for bringing this book to television.”

Said Anonymous Content’s Kerry Kohansky-Roberts: “Caitlin’s honest, self-effacing humor had us hooked. We knew after the first read that we wanted to be involved in bringing her fascinating journey to television, and have found the perfect partners in Evan and Paramount.”

Doughty, a licensed funeral director in Los Angeles, is the host and creator of web series Ask A Mortician and the collective Order of the Good Death. She’s repped  by Anna Sproul-Latimer of the Ross Yoon Agency and Jody Hotchkiss of Hotchkiss & Associates. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory is published by W.W. Norton & Company.

The Dukes of Oxy by Guy Lawson

DEADLINE New Line Acquires Rolling Stone True Crime Saga ‘Dukes Of Oxy'; Michael De Luca, Ansel Elgort Attached

EXCLUSIVE: In what will be his first collaboration at New Line in a very long time, Michael De Luca is at the center of a deal for Dukes Of Oxy, an article in the April 23 issue of Rolling Stone about a pair of teen high school wrestlers from Florida who built a multimillion-dollar business smuggling OxyContin and other painkillers. The deal is coming together quickly for De Luca to produce the film with Ansel Elgort and Emily Gerson Saines (Temple Grandin). The hope is for Elgort, whose star launched with The Fault In Their Stars, to play one of the two drug dealers.

The Rolling Stone article was written by Guy Lawson, who also wrote the article that became the basis for Arms And The Dudes, the drama Todd Phillips is directing right now at Warner Bros with Miles Teller and Jonah Hill starring as two guys who got a government contract to arm America’s allies in Afghanistan.

For De Luca, this is the first major project for him to produce at New Line since he left the company after a storied run as production president who championed such films as Boogie Nights, Se7en, Rush Hour, Austin Powers and others. It’s the first project he has aligned without outside Universal Pictures since he left his post as president of production at Sony to make a Universal producing deal that returned him to the Fifty Shades Of Grey franchise. New Line chief Toby Emmerich was in the middle of this with Richard Brener. Both of them came up with De Luca at New Line.

Dukes Of Oxy is in its own way reminiscent of crime sagas like Goodfellas and The Wolf Of Wall Street, only here, the kingpins are impossibly young to have gone as far as they did before finally getting caught. Doug Dodd stumbled into this business with his best friend and wrestling partner Lance Barabas, who also became known as the Little General for his diminutive size and his determination to become a character out of Scarface. They began trafficking and figured things out along the way. Like sending pain pills in vitamin bottles and getting the money returned in stuffed teddy bears that had been hollowed out and filled with cash. When one of the guys got pulled over with drugs, they each faked back injuries so they got painkiller prescriptions so that if they were caught again, it would appear they had done nothing wrong. Mostly, they got into the game of transporting pain pills across the South while law enforcement focused on more serious drugs, and they made a fortune.

The plan is for Elgort to play Dodd, the more rational member of the team. Early on, Dodd turned to a relative who’d done time for dealing drugs and was given a handy set of rules that included not talking on the phone, not dealing with anybody they didn’t know, not using guns and cutting ties with anyone under state or federal investigation. As their empire grew, and they spent much time getting high on their own supply, the duo broke every one of these rules and eventually got caught when law enforcement began to crack down on the runaway problem of a black market for painkillers.

The deal was brokered by Hotchkiss and Associates on behalf of Lawson. Elgort is repped by CAA and Brookside Artist Management.

The Residence by Kate Andersen Brower

DEADLINE: Fox 21 TV Studios Lands White House Book ‘The Residence’ For Cable Drama Produced By Kevin Spacey & Megyn Kelly

In a very competitive bidding situation, Fox 21 Television Studios has optioned the book The Residence by Kate Andersen Brower about the relationship between the White House residence staff and the various First Families spanning several administrations.

The non-fiction book will be developed as a cable drama executive produced by Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti of Trigger Street. In her first foray into scripted TV producing, Fox News Anchor Megyn Kellyis attached as a co-executive producer. Andersen Brower, who covered President Obama’s first term for Bloomberg News and also worked as a CBS News staffer and Fox News producer, is attached as a technical consultant.

In the vein of hit British drama Downton Abbey, The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House, which is expected to debut at No.1 on the New York Times bestseller list this Sunday after selling out on Amazon, recounts some intimate upstairs/downstairs details from the staff in The White House through several administrations. That includes the Kennedys’ chic fashion-forward parties, Lyndon Johnson’s bizzare obsession with increasing shower pressure in the bathroom, Nancy Reagan keeping the pastry chef up all night to create a perfect dessert, George W. Bush playing horseshoes out back with the help, Hilary Clinton throwing a book at Bill in their bedroom during the Monica Lewinsky controversy, and the Obamas dancing to Mary J. Blige on their first night in the White House.

“This isn’t your typical portraiture of America’s first family, in fact it’s quite the opposite,” Brunetti said. “This is a compelling narrative about the men and women who make the White House run every day. There are so many interesting and wonderful stories to tell that are grounded and relatable, I think this will translate into a truly wonderful show.”

Spacey and Brunetti know a thing or two about cable dramas set in the White House as executive producers of hit Netflix series House of Cards, in which Spacey plays the U.S. president. The two quickly identified Residence and pitched the book to Fox 21 TV Studios president Bert Salke. “It was mind blowing and there were multiple bidders for the project,” Salke said. “The pages were absolutely compelling — there was an incredible scope that took you behind the scenes of history with the ordinary and extraordinary people who make it.”

A search for a writer for the project is underway, and it is expected to be shopped to cable networks shortly.

Trigger Street’s credits also include features Captain Phillips and The Social Network, HBO movie Recount and the Broadway production of The Iceman Cometh. The company is repped by CAA.  The book deal was brokered by Howard Yoon of Ross Yoon Agency along with Hotchkiss and Associates.

The Reluctant Psychic by Suzan Saxman and Perdita Finn

THE NEW YORK POST: Shonda Rhimes in deal with ‘Reluctant Psychic’

ABC Studios and Shonda Rhimes’ production company have picked up the rights to New York psychic Suzan Saxman’s memoir “The Reluctant Psychic” for a potential TV series.

Saxman, 53, — who grew up in Staten Island and now lives in Woodstock, NY — claims she has seen the spirits of the dead since she was a child. Though she initially tried to ignore her calling, she has since embraced her premonitions and does readings out of her upstate shop, The White Gryphon.

Her book, which was published in January by St. Martin’s Press and was featured in The Post tells the story of her journey as she tries to make sense of her family’s buried secrets and the readings of others’ destinies.

An ABC spokesperson confirmed the project is in the early stages of development with ShondaLand producing. Though Rhimes currently has three successful shows on ABC — “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder” — the “Psychic” project is being developed at ABC Signature Studios, which sells programs to cable networks and alternative media platforms.

Saxman will not be involved in the TV projec

Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser

DEADLINE: ‘Fancy Nancy’ Books To Be Developed As Animated TV Movie & Series By Disney Jr.

By Denise Petski

Disney Junior has optioned Fancy Nancy, the New York Times best-selling book series by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser, to develop as an original animated TV movie and series for premiere in 2017. Also included is a licensing deal with Disney Consumer Products for related role-play items and other consumer products. In addition, the books’ publisher HarperCollins and Disney Publishing will collaborate on future books based on the television series.

The stories, geared toward kids ages 2-7, have an underlying theme of self-expression and love of family as they follow the adventures of a girl who likes to be fancy in everything from her creative, elaborate attire to her advanced vocabulary.

“Children have been captivated by Fancy Nancy’s wit and irrepressible spirit for a decade, and we are very eager to give her an even bigger stage on which to perform,” said Nancy Kanter, EVP Original Programming and General Manager at Disney Junior Worldwide.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Disney Junior to bring Fancy Nancy to the small screen and to the next generation of fans,” said Susan Katz, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books. “As we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of this best-selling series, it’s exciting to see our beloved character making her TV debut.”

Fancy Nancy, which includes 60-plus titles, has sold more than 28 million books and been translated into 20 languages. Fancy Nancy was named 2008’s Book Character of the Year by Global License. The series has received two Toy Industry Association’s Toy of the Year Award nominations, two LIMA International Licensing Excellence Award nominations and was named the Best Character Brand Program of the Year in 2009.

The deal was made on behalf of Harper Collins by Hotchkiss and Associates.

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend by Michelle Cuevas

VARIETY: ‘Confessions of an Imaginary Friend’ Movie in the Works at Fox

By Dave McNary

Fox Animation is developing “Confessions of an Imaginary Friend: A Memoir by Jacques Papier,” acquiring movie rights for Michelle Cuevas’ upcoming book, Variety has learned exclusively.

“Confessions,” which will be published by Dial Books for Young Readers in September, is the whimsical autobiography of an imaginary friend who doesn’t know he’s imaginary.

In the narrative, Jacques Papier has the sneaking suspicion that everyone except his sister Fleur hates him since teachers ignore him when his hand is raised in class, he’s never chosen for sports teams, and his parents often need to be reminded to set a place for him at the dinner table. He’s shocked when he finally learns that he’s Fleur’s imaginary friend and convinces Fleur to set him free.

Elizabeth Reddy is overseeing “Confessions” for Fox.

Cuevas is also the co-author of “The Masterwork of a Painting Elephant” and “Beyond the Laughing Sky.”

The deal was completed by Sean Daily of Hotchkiss and Associates with Emily Van Beek of Folio Literary Management.

My Heart And Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

DEADLINE ‘My Heart And Other Black Holes’ Movie: Paramount Books Suicide-Themed YA Novel

By Mike Fleming Jr and Patrick Hipes

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures has closed a deal for movie rights to first-time author Jasmine Warga’s young-adult novel My Heart And Other Black Holes with Anonymous Content attached to produce. The book was published February 15 by HarperCollins’ Balzer + Bray imprint and has been sold for publication already in 17 countries.

My Heart And Other Black Holes 2The story centers on a pair of teenagers, Aysel Seran and Roman Franklin, who meet through an online site matching up suicide partners (these groups actually exist) to help ensure each partner will not back out of their own suicide. In a twist on Romeo and Juliet, they become more and more intimate through the 26-day countdown to their date until one question hangs between them: Will they live or will they die?

Warga is a 26-year-old Jordanian American from Cincinnati who wrote the novel after the death of a close friend to give voice to feelings of depression and isolation. “Aysel was a vessel for me to tackle questions about the demon of depression, grief, and the ultimate saving power of love and human connection,” the first-time writer told Interview magazine just before the book hit stands.

Anonymous Content’s Michael Sugar and Ashley Zalta will produce the movie, and Paramount’s Peter Kang is the creative executive on the project. It joins other YA projects in development there including an adaptation of Fault In Our Stars author John Green’s first book Looking For Alaska, with Fault In Our Stars scribes Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber on board to adapt.

This is the first deal unveiled since Marc Evans was named the studio’s new Motion Picture Group president this week after Adam Goodman departed at the end of last month.

The Heart pact was made by Hotchkiss and Associates with Brenda Bowen at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

Octopus by Guy Lawson

VARIETY: ‘Better Call Saul’ Co-Creator Developing Wall Street Movie for HBO (EXCLUSIVE)

Peter Gould is on the trail of another story of Wall Street run amok for HBO.

The “Better Call Saul” co-creator/exec producer is in the early stages of developing a telepic for HBO based on Guy Lawson’s 2012 nonfiction book “Octopus: Sam Israel, the Secret Market and Wall Street’s Wildest Con.”

The HBO Films project will revolve around a colorful cast of rogues and schemers who create an audacious hedge fund fraud and then go on a wild search for “the Octopus,” a secret and elite market that controls the world financial system. Gould is set to write and direct the telepic, as well as exec produce.

Gould previously wrote the 2011 HBO movie “Too Big to Fail,” adapted from Andrew Ross Sorkin’s book about key players in the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the onset of the 2008-09 global financial crisis. “Too Big to Fail” earned a bevy of award nominations for HBO. Gould won a Writers Guild Award for adapted longform screenplay.

Gould is in the midst of steering plans for season two of “Breaking Bad” prequel drama “Better Call Saul” with co-creator Vince Gilligan. “Saul” bowed earlier this month to strong reviews and ratings for AMC. Gould earned back-to-back drama series Emmy Awards in 2013 and 2014 as an exec producer of “Breaking Bad.”

Joe Millner, Gould’s rep at Larchmont Literary Agency, is on board to exec produce “Octopus.” Gould is also repped by CAA.

Happyish by Shalom Auslander

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: 'Happyish' will get its second series pickup.

Showtime president David Nevins used his platform at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour to renew dramedy Shameless for a sixth season and hand out a series order to redeveloped comedy Happyish.

EmmyRossum starrer Shameless, which returned Jan. 11, earned series highs in 2014 — averaging more than 5.7 million weekly viewers across multiple platforms. The John Wells dramedy from Warner Bros. Television also has finally received some awards love, with star William H. Macy earning Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations. Production on season six will resume later this year for a 12-episode run in 2015.

Happyish, meanwhile, was originally ordered to series with Philip Seymour Hoffman. The premium cable network re-piloted the series, tapping Steve Coogan to replace the late actor in the dark examination of the pursuit of happiness.

The comedy, co-starring Kathryn Hahn and Bradley Whitford, will be rushed onto the schedule, with Showtime announcing a a 9:30 p.m. April 26 premiere date, where it will be paired with the seventh and final season bow of NurseJackie.

Happyish was created, written and executive produced by This American Life's Shalom Auslander. Emmy nominee Ken Kwapis (He’s Just Not That Into You) executive produces and directed the pilot. Kwapis' producing partner Alexandra Beattie co-executive produces via their In Cahoots banner.

"It feels like a next way to do a cable comedy; it's absorbing and not too cool and real emotion," Nevins told reporters. "It's been frustrating that I haven't launched more comedies. This show has been a particular area of focus."

Coogan stars as a 44-year-old man whose world is thrown into disarray when his 25-year-old “wunderkind” boss arrives, saying things like “digital,” “social” and “viral.”  Is he in need of a “rebranding,” or does he just have a “low joy ceiling?”  Maybe pursuing happiness is a fool’s errand? Maybe, after 44 years on this ludicrous planet, settling for happyish is the best one can expect.

Happyish joins a roster of Showtime originals, including Golden Globe winner The Affair, Homeland, Masters of Sex, Penny Dreadful and Ray Donovan as well as comedies Shameless, House of Lies,Jackie and Web Therapy. Following his session, Nevins told reporters that he also expects "good news" for Episodes and House of Lies, which typically are renewed alongside Shameless. The latter earned the pickup after Showtime negotiated a new deal with WBTV, with all the series regulars having the option to return pending the events of season five.

On the pilot front, Showtime has drama Billions as well as comedies Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Cameron Crowe's Roadies.

No Limit by Kevin Poulsen

VARIETY: Jonah Hill, ‘D Train’ Filmmakers to Adapt Vegas Hacker Story (EXCLUSIVE)

Hot off their Sundance Film Festival premiere, “The D Train” directors Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul are rolling on to their next bigscreen project, this time with Jonah Hill.

Mogel and Paul tell Variety they plan to adapt the Wired magazine article “Finding a Vegas Poker Bug Made These Guys Rich — Then Vegas Made Them Pay,” to which they recently bought the rights as a potential directing vehicle.

Hill is exec producing the film through his 75 Year Plan banner. Mogel and Paul will also produce.

Written by Kevin Poulsen, the Wired magazine article was first published in October, 2014 and tells the story of two hackers who found a glitch in video poker machines before amassing nearly $1 million in cash. They were eventually arrested in 2009.

The two men, Andre Nestor and John Kane, weren’t technically cheating at the casinos, says Mogel, “It was a sequence of buttons they would use to cash out, like an ATM.”

“It’s a really great story,” Paul added.

Mogel and Paul recently worked with Hill on Fox’s animated series “Allen Gregory.” Their directorial debut, “The D Train,” starring Jack Black, was acquired by IFC Films following its Sundance premiere.

The filmmaking duo previously wrote “Yes Man” and are attached to another Jim Carrey comedy, the untitled “Bruce Almighty” sequel. They’re repped by UTA, Mosaic and Ziffren Brittenham.

Hill, whose film “True Story” also premiered at Sundance this year, is currently shooting the Coen brothers’ “Hail Caesar!” opposite George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum.

He is repped by WME, LBI and Karl Austen.

Arms and the Dudes by Guy Lawson

DEADLINE: Hollywood Warner Bros Has Jesse Eisenberg, Shia LaBeouf In Crosshairs For ‘Arms & The Dudes’

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros and Todd Phillips are starting to get serious about Arms & The Dudes, the film about two stoners who become arms dealers. Talks are about to get underway with Jesse Eisenberg and Shia LaBeouf to star in a film that Phillips will direct about the two unlikeliest arms dealers who got a $300 million contract to supply weapons for its allies in Afghanistan. They soon found themselves in danger abroad and in trouble back home because they were completely out of their depth. The pic is based on a Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawson and Phillips has been working on it for years under his Green Hat banner; it becomes the first major project since he joined forces with Bradley Cooper. Mark Gordon is also producing and Bryan Zuriff is exec producer. Jason Smilovic is writing the script with Phillips. Gordon got this party started, finding the article and joining forces with The Hangover director to turn it into a film.

Eisenberg stars as Lex Luthor in Batman V Superman at Warner Bros, and wrapped American Ultra. He’s repped by CAA and so is LaBeouf, who most recently was seen in the Lars Von Trier-directed Nymphomaniac double feature, and Charlie Countryman. He’s managed by John Crosby. Jesse Ehrman and Jon Gonda are overseeing the project for the studio.

Freeheld by Cynthia Wade

DEADLINE: Steve Carell Reunites With Julianne Moore In ‘Freeheld’

EXCLUSIVE: Steve Carell is replacing Zach Galifianakis in Freeheld, the Peter Sollett-directed film based on the 2007 documentary about Laurel Hester and Stacie Andree. They fought to amend the Domestic Partnership Act, which grants pension benefits to domestic partners of all New Jersey public employees. The film stars Julianne Moore and Ellen Page. It’s produced by Page, Kelly Bush, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, James D. Stern, Richard Fischoff, Duncan Montgomery, Jack Selby, Duncan Montgomery, and Cynthia Wade. Ron Nyswaner wrote the script.

Galifianakis has dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Carell will play the supporting role of Steven Goldstein, a passionate advocate for Garden State Equality. Carell, who starred with Moore in Crazy, Stupid, Love, found a spot of availability in his schedule between the time he’ll spend promoting his starring roles in Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day and the Bennett Miller-directed Foxcatcher. The latter film , which also stars Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo, has had awards buzz all over it since premiering in Cannes. Carell is repped by WME and Steve Sauer at Media Four Management.

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

Deadline: Daily Astronaut Family Comedy Lands At ABC With Pilot Production Commitment by Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: In a very competitive situation, ABC has landed An Astronaut’s Guide To Life On Earth, a multi-camera comedy from Surviving Jack creators Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker with a pilot production commitment. The project, from Warner Bros TV — where the duo is under an overall deal — and 3 Arts Entertainment, is based on the memoir by Col. Chris Hadfield, a seasoned Canadian astronaut who became an Internet star with his videos from the International Space Station. (Watch one below.) The TV series is described as a family comedy about an astronaut who is back from space and finds that re-entering domestic life might be the hardest mission he’s ever faced. Halpern and Schumacker will write the script and executive produce with 3 Arts’ Erwin Stoff and Tom Lassally. Hadfield will serve as a consulting producer.

This is the third time Halpern and Schumacker, repped by ICM Partners, will be adapting a memoir into TV comedy series. Both of their previous efforts, CBS’ S#*! My Dad Says and Surviving Jack, were based on books by Halpern, and both went to series on CBS and Fox, respectively. Here is the trailer for Hadfield’s book, one of several An Astronaut’s Guide comedic videos by Hadfield.

Television Rights to NYT bestselling author Chris Hadfield's AN ASTRONAUT'S GUIDE TO LIFE ON EARTH, to ABC, from Warner Bros. TV, with 3 Arts Entertainment (PARKS AND RECREATION, SILICON VALLEY) producing and Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker (SURVIVING JACK) writing, by Sean Daily at Hotchkiss and Associates on behalf of Rick Broadhead of Rick Broadhead & Associates.

Soul Catcher by Frank Herbert

DEADLINE: Producer Options ‘Soul Catcher’ By ‘Dune’ Author Frank Herbert

EXCLUSIVE: Four decades after Dune scribe Frank Herbert published his acclaimed 1972 novel Soul Catcher, the book has been optioned for the big screen by producer Dimitri Villard. The Flight Of he Navigator and Once Bitten producer first pursued the Herbert tome during the 1980s but tabled his film career to run music company ArtistDirect until last year. Now he’s returning to the screen biz with Soul Catcher, about a militant Native American student who kidnaps the 13-year-old white son of a U.S. politician, intending to sacrifice the child for vengeance against wrongs committed against his people. As the captor and the captive flee from hunters across the Pacific Northwest, they form a bond that throws the planned act into question.

The late Herbert’s seminal Dune remains the best-selling science fiction of all time and was adapted into a 1984 feature film by David Lynch and a TV miniseries and sequel in the 2000s. It’s also the only property of his to get a feature film treatment, though he penned dozens more novels and short stories before his death in 1986. Soul Catcher is a rare mainstream Herbert novel but shares many of the author’s signature themes in its intersection of ecology, politics, and Native American religious beliefs.

“The book is an extraordinary example of Frank Herbert’s brilliant writing, and it is something I’ve always wanted to turn into a film,” said Villard. “I remember the rights being unavailable when I first pursued the Soul Catcher project in the ’80s, but as my producing career developed I never forgot the powerful effect the story had on me. Now, with full support from the Frank Herbert estate, we have the opportunity to make a culturally impactful film that combines elements of suspense, high drama, mysticism and Native American history that will resonate for years to come and appeal to the millions of Frank Herbert fans worldwide.”

Villard negotiated for a year with the Herbert estate and next is looking to attach a director whose vision can steer the character-driven piece. He’s also brought on Rene Haynes (Dances With Wolves, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, Squanto, Crazy Horse, Buffalo Soldiers), who specializes in Native American and First Nations castings and cast the Quileute/Wolfpack characters in Summit’s Twilight franchise. Greg Bernstein negotiated the deal on behalf of Villard with Jody Hotchkiss repping the Herbert estate.