The Tracking Board’s Daily Debrief (02.15.17)

Newsroom Scribe Matthew Lopez to Rewrite Chaos Walking Starring Daisy Ridley, Tom Holland

Lionsgate has hired The Newsroom scribe Matthew Lopez to rewrite Chaos Walking, the YA movie that is slated to star Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland. Doug Liman will direct the movie and oversee the new draft from Lopez. Charlie Kaufman and Jamie Linden wrote previous drafts of the script. Doug Davison is producing through his Quadrant Pictures banner along with Allison Shearmur.

The Case For Moonlight in the Wake of the 
La La Land Ba-Ba-Backlash

Everyone seems to be suffering from La La Land fatigue, but it hasn’t necessarily paved the way for Moonlight to take the lead in the Oscar race because everyone is focused on turning their backs on the musical spectacular, so now is the better time than any to give the case of why Moonlight should win…and why it won’t.

Writing the TV Pilot: What Makes a Pilot Successful?

The success of television series grows from the same place, by growing their unique structure organically from their characters, and from the voice of their writers, rather than imposing an external structure upon them.

More News From Around The Web

• Fresh Off the Boat star Constance Wu is in talks for the lead in Warner Bros.’ Crazy Rich Asians. Jon M. Chu is directing the adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s New York Times best-selling novel, which will feature an all-Asian cast. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Joe Carnahan has come aboard to write and direct and Frank Grillo has been set to star in The Raid, a new take on the martial arts film franchise launched by Gareth Evans in 2012. (Deadline)

• Ciaran Hinds, who was recently seen in Martin Scorsese’s Silence and boxing biopic Bleed For This, is set to join Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeremy Irons, and Joely Richardson for Fox’s Red Sparrow, a film adaptation based on Jason Matthews’ espionage novel. (Deadline)

• Jack Black is in talks to join Joaquin Phoenix in Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, the biopic about quadriplegic cartoonist John Callahan. Phoenix will play Callahan in the film, which will be directed by Gus Van Sant. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Melanie Lynskey, Danielle Brooks, Tony Hale, John Gallagher, Jr., and newcomer Sophia Mitri Schloss are starring in the independent family drama Sadie, which has wrapped production in Seattle. (Variety)

• Universal Pictures has optioned City Of Saints & Thieves, the bestselling debut novel by Natalie C. Anderson. Will Packer’s Will Packer Productions and Kerry Washington’s Simpson Street production company are in negotiations to produce. (Deadline)

• John Curran is now in talks to develop and direct the TV series planned about Lou Pearlman, the manager/producer of NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys who was also running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors out of about $300M dollars. Toby Jones is attached to star in the series. (Deadline)

• Starz is committing to at least two more seasons of Outlander, renewing the series with an order that will cover the third and fourth novels in Diana Gabaldon’s sprawling source material. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• A new book and feature film project about New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is on its way. Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, the writers behind Disney’s The Finest Hours who were nominated for an Oscar for The Fighter, and New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman are reteaming. (Deadline)

• Daniel Levin, whose Narrative Capital produced Lion, has acquired the life rights to New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler for a biopic titled The Secondary. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Amazon has renewed Billy Bob Thornton legal drama Goliath for a second season. Additionally, Clyde Phillips is set to join as showrunner, linking up with an executive producer team that includes David E. Kelley, Jonathan Shapiro, and Ross Fineman. (The Wrap)