Publishing news is weird. You often learn about things many months or even years before they’re publicly announced. For instance, I’m sitting on two big announcements right now, one of which required me to sign an NDA! But we’re waiting on contracts and timing and such to be able to say anything. The waiting is hard.
And honestly, no waiting has been harder than waiting for this news to finally be public: THE DISASTERS was optioned for television TWO WHOLE YEARS AGO, before the book even came out at the end of 2018.
Let me be clear: This does NOT mean the television show is definitely happening. It has, however, made it surprisingly far in the process, which is truly thrilling. A pilot will be filmed, but then that pilot has to get green lit by the network before they order episodes. My innate reflex to always manage expectations and keep hopes reasonable requires that I make this abundantly clear! I do hope, though, that the show will go forward, and that it’ll create opportunities for writers, actors, and crew of color, queer folks, and people of many faiths. The book is a melting pot of the people in my life and it would be an honor to see them represented on the screen and behind it.
Also, a caveat: I have almost no involvement in this whole process, and that includes casting, scripts, etc. While I would LOVE to see your casting ideas, I have zero power to make them actually happen. Bring ’em on, though!
I’m thrilled to have such a superstar team behind the project, and want to extend huge thanks to John Sacchi and Matt Groesch at 5 More Minutes Productions for being the initial champions, Greg Berlanti and the rest of the team at Berlanti Productions, Derek Simon, Lee Toland Krieger, Warner Bros for taking up the original option, and The CW for saying yes to the pitch. I’m sure there are so many more people involved that I have no idea about, and thanks to them, too! And always, to my film agent, Sean Berard, who made all this happen to start with.
If you’re interested in picking up a copy of THE DISASTERS, it’s available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook, and there’s an excellent audio edition! Stay tuned for more updates, and a happy end of 2020 to you all.
