NEW YORK – November 10, 2022 – AMC Networks today announced the opening of a writers’ room to develop a serial version of Good Night, and Good Luck for AMC and AMC+. The series adaptation of Participant and 2929 Productions’ 2005 Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe multi-nominated film was brought to the network by George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures along with Participant and 2929 Productions. Scripts will be led by Emmy, PGA and WGA Award winner Jonathan Glatzer (Better Call Saul, Succession), and Grant Heslov will direct the first episode. Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner, under their 2929 Productions banner, and Jeff Skoll for Participant will return as executive producers, joined by Miura Kite (Participant) and Haley Jones (2929), and co-executive producer Rebecca Arzoian (Smokehouse). The project will be developed under AMC Networks’ “scripts-to-series” model, which opens writers’ rooms to develop prospective series that, in success, move straight-to-series.
Good Night, and Good Luck showrunner Jonathan Glatzer has found his inspiration in the newsmen and women who worked alongside Edward R. Murrow amid a post-war climate of fear and hysteria. The series follows Sy Steingartner, a young cameraman for Murrow’s “See It Now,” who is forced to juggle his admiration for Murrow with his own ambition. With the CBS brass pushing an anti-Communist Loyalty Oath on Murrow and his staff, Sy has an opportunity to rise straight to the top, but only by betraying his mentor in the process. With wit and keen observation, the series confronts how we respond to chaos and the values that pull us through.
“As a massive fan of the movie, I didn’t want to copy it, or just do a facsimile of it. So, we’ve expanded the world to show how the division and hysteria of the times seeped into every aspect of daily life,” said showrunner Jonathan Glatzer. “I suppose it’s more of an origin story of where we are today.”
“AMC is known for intriguing, deep-rooted characters that leap off the screen and into the cultural zeitgeist. Sy Steingartner fits right in with AMC’s icons, and we are excited to develop the character and series,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “We’re huge fans of Jonathan’s expert storytelling gifts, George and Grant’s producing prowess, Grant’s directing skills, and the vigorous talents of Mark, Todd and Jeff, and we’re elated to work with all in this new endeavor.”
“We are exceedingly proud of the Oscar®-nominated Good Night, and Good Luck film, and its themes remain frighteningly relevant today, as new threats to democracy arise and trust in the press continues to erode,” said Participant’s CEO David Linde. “We are proud to work with AMC, Smokehouse and 2929 to expand on the world of the film in this thrilling new series.”
“Good Night, and Good Luck and the pressures faced by the men and women of the Murrow newsroom are more timely now than ever,” said Todd Wagner, CEO of 2929 Entertainment. “We are thrilled to reteam with our partners George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Participant to bring Jonathan Glatzer’s vision of Murrow to new audiences. AMC’s long history of character-driven storytelling make this the ideal collaboration for the new series adaptation.”
Glatzer will serve as showrunner and executive produce alongside George Clooney, Grant Heslov and co-executive producer Rebecca Arzoian for Smokehouse Pictures, Mark Cuban, Todd Wagner and Haley Jones for 2929 Productions and Jeff Skoll and Miura Kite for Participant.
In the event of a series order, AMC Studios would produce the six-episode series with Smokehouse, Participant and 2929 Productions. AMC Networks holds worldwide exclusive rights to the series.
About AMC Networks
AMC Networks (Nasdaq: AMCX) is a global entertainment company known for its popular and critically acclaimed content. Its brands include targeted streaming services AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, ALLBLK and the anime-focused HIDIVE streaming service, in addition to AMC, BBC AMERICA (operated through a joint venture with BBC Studios), IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv, IFC Films and RLJE Films. AMC Studios, the Company’s in-house studio, production and distribution operation, is behind some of the biggest titles and brands known to a global audience, including The Walking Dead, the Anne Rice catalog and the Agatha Christie library. The Company also operates AMC Networks International, its international programming business, and 25/7 Media, its production services business.
About Smokehouse
Smokehouse Pictures is a motion picture and television company founded in 2006 by George Clooney and Grant Heslov. Their most recent project is Boys in the Boat, currently in post-production for MGM. The film was directed by Clooney, produced by Clooney and Heslov, and based on the novel of the same name by Daniel James Brown. Smokehouse’s films include Good Night, and Good Luck, for which Clooney was nominated for Best Director and Heslov and Clooney were nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The film garnered a total of six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. They also produced the Academy Award winning Best Picture Argo along with The Ides of March, for which the partners were nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Other Smokehouse projects include the television series Catch-22, Trial by Media, and On Becoming a God in Central Florida and the films The Tender Bar, The Midnight Sky, Suburbicon, Money Monster, Our Brand is Crisis, The Monuments Men, August: Osage County, The American, Leatherheads and The Men Who Stare at Goats.
About Participant
Founded in 2004 by Chairman Jeff Skoll and under the leadership of CEO David Linde, Participant (www.participant.com) is the leading global media company dedicated to content that unites art and activism to create positive change. Participant’s films have earned 85 Academy Award® nominations, including 2022’s historic triple nomination for FLEE, and 21 wins, including Best Picture for Spotlight and Green Book; Best Documentary Feature for An Inconvenient Truth, CITIZENFOUR, The Cove and American Factory; and Best Foreign Language Film for Roma and A Fantastic Woman. Participant also has earned 44 Emmy® Award nominations and 11 wins, including two wins for the groundbreaking When They See Us.
A pioneer of socially conscious storytelling, Participant partners with key nonprofits and NGOs to drive real-world impact and awareness around today’s most vital issues on a global scale, and is the only major US entertainment company whose social and environmental impact has earned a B Corp Certification. Participant believes that diversity is a source of strength, that inclusion is essential to progress, and that equity is an imperative for impact. Follow Participant on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About 2929 Entertainment
2929 Productions, a division of 2929 Entertainment (2929Entertainment.com), selectively develops, produces and finances films and series. 2929’s projects include: Good Night, and Good Luck, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture; Alex Gibney’s Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature; Akeelah and The Bee; The Road; The Jacket; Serena; The Girlfriend Experience; and We Own the Night. 2929 Entertainment is a group of media properties co-owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban and includes 2929 Productions, Magnolia Pictures, and Spotlight Cinema Networks.