Malcolm Gladwell has sold a Cold War-era spy series to HBO, THR reports. The show revolves around “a missionary who becomes involved in the CIA” and Mr. Gladwell serve as a non-writing executive producer.
Joining him as executive producer will be Charles Randolph, a former philosophy professor who made shift to screenwriting with 2003’s The Life of David Gale and will be responsible for the series’ writing. Mark Wahlberg is also among the other producers.
THR said that Mr. Gladwell has “written about the world of espionage for the New Yorker,” but the only thing in recent memory was a book review about “Operation Mincemeat.” Selling a TV series on the basis of criticism would have to be some kind of first.
A movie based on Mr. Gladwell’s book Blink, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is slated for 2011.
