David Carr’s critically acclaimed memoir The Night of the Gun is being made into a six-part miniseries by AMC and Sony Pictures Television, with Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk attached to star and The Shield‘s Shawn Ryan adapting Carr’s life story for the series. Odenkirk, who will be playing journalist David Carr, will also executive produce with Ryan, Marc Provissiero, and Joshua Astrachan. Eileen Myers (Masters of Sex, Mad Dogs) is also on board as a writer and executive producer.
“David Carr’s work as a journalist was uncompromising, enlightening, and most of all, always driven by a fundamental quest for the truth. When he turned those skills and values around to focus on his own life as an addict, the result was a stunningly original, compelling and important piece of journalism the likes of which the world had never seen – a simultaneously heartbreaking, funny, and inspirational account that redefined the idea of telling a personal story,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “Shawn Ryan, Bob Odenkirk, and the incredible team behind this have embraced all the things that David would have loved as a storyteller, and crafted a vision for The Night of the Gun that we hope will be as timeless as David’s book.”
“The Night of the Gun is an incredible tale of a journalist’s search for the truth about the most painful subject of his career — himself. David Carr’s autobiography is a searing, hysterical look at the demon of addiction and his journey from the crack pipe to esteemed columnist for The New York Times,” stated Ryan. “I couldn’t be more honored to help bring his story to life, especially with the immensely talented Bob Odenkirk as an actor and creative partner.”
“I read David’s story, The Night of the Gun, when it came out and was wildly entertained by his saga. It’s a story of survival filled with pain, crack, journalistic righteousness, abandoned cars, crooks, lies, and then there’s the two little girls who saved his life; it’s overstuffed with humanity,” Odenkirk said. “Shawn Ryan is the man to explore this real anti-hero story. I hope to do justice to David’s intellect and his scrappy nature. It’s gonna be crazy… if we do it right.”
