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Bob Odenkirk May Play David Carr In Mini-Series Based On Carr's 'The Night Of The Gun'
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 6, 2016
Modified Jun 6, 2016
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 6, 2016
Modified Jun 6, 2016
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A harrowing part of late NY Times media reporter David Carr's life may be the subject of an AMC miniseries. Today, the network announced that it's developing Carr's 2008 memoir, The Night of the Gun, with Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk as Carr.
The book tracks Carr's journey to understand his time as a crack addict and new father. Odenkirk, who will also be an executive producer, said, "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. I hope to do justice to David's intellect and his scrappy nature. It's gonna be crazy... if we do it right"
Variety reports, "While the miniseries stands in development, the hot project will likely be greenlit, given the subject matter, plus Odenkirk and Ryan’s involvement."
That's Shawn Ryan, a writer and producer for The Shield and Terriers, who would take on those same roles for this project; Odenkirk calls him "the man to explore this real anti-hero story." Ryan said, "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."
Eileen Myers, who has written for Masters of Sex and Big Love, is also a writer on the project.
In a description on the website for his book, Carr wrote, "If I told you I was a drug addict who sobered up, got custody of his kids, got them off welfare, survived cancer and went on to become a columnist at the NY Times, would you like my story? You bet. What if I told you I was a fat thug, sold drugs, beat up women, terrorized children, then maybe not so much."
He also wrote in the Times, "To be an addict is to be something of a cognitive acrobat. You spread versions of yourself around, giving each person the truth he or she needs — you need, actually — to keep them at a remove. Let’s stipulate that I do not have a good memory, having recklessly sautéed my brain in fistfuls of pharmaceutical spices. Beyond impairment, there may be no more unreliable narrator than an addict. Recovered or not, I am someone who used my mouth to constantly create one more opportunity to get high."
Carr died last year of lung cancer at age 58; he had collapsed in the Times newsroom after moderating a panel with filmmaker Laura Poitras, journalist Glenn Greenwald and, by video, government-surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Tagged
bob odenkirk
david carr
shawn ryan
the night of the gun
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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