Film/TV
Our approach to structure, scene, and momentum creates a natural path to the screen for our clients’ narrative nonfiction projects. From the very beginning of our partnership, we get authors thinking about the mechanics of good storytelling, from character development and scene-setting to narrative tension and turning points.
We borrow from fiction techniques to develop character motivation and evocative detail, and we encourage authors to engage with classic story forms—the protagonist-antagonist relationship, the three- and five-act structure—to develop their work in ways that will keep a reader always turning the page. This approach sets up our clients to see their book adapted to film and television—and see their ideas go beyond the written page.
The Doomsday Machine
Claire Foy
Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang’s bestselling book An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination is being adapted into an upcoming HBO series, Doomsday Machine, which will star Claire Foy as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Doomsday Machine offers a behind-the-scenes view into the strained relationship between Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg and the political and social challenges Facebook has faced in its pursuit of growth and influence. The series, which begins at the outset of the 2016 election, explores the rise of disinformation and Facebook’s role in it, from the creation of the XCHECK program—which allowed high-profile users such as Donald Trump to post content in violation of the company’s community standards—to the damaging effects of Instagram on teen mental health. Ayad Akhtar, a Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright, is writing the series for studios Anonymous Content and Wiip. Frankel and Kang will serve as consultants and executive producers.
Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America
Eddie Redmayne
Mindf*ck: Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America, Christopher Wylie’s book about the data analytics firm that illegally harvested the information of millions of Facebook users to influence the U.S. presidential election in 2016, is being turned into a film produced by AGBO, the company helmed by Marvel directors Joe and Anthony Russo. The movie, as yet untitled, will trace Wylie’s decision to become a whistleblower. Avengers: Endgame screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely wrote the script, and two-time Oscar winner Peter Farrelly is in talks to direct the movie. Eddie Redmayne is expected to star as Wylie. Paul Bettany will portray Alexander Nix, CEO of Cambridge Analytica.