A lauded writer with an impressive career, Carr reported on his own private life in The Night of the Gun, even interviewing people close to him. The memoir, published in 2008, delved into his two decades of drug use, among other experiences. The adaptation is being penned by Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Eileen Myers.
“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,” said Odenkirk in a statement. “I hope to do justice to David’s intellect and his scrappy nature. It’s gonna be crazy … if we do it right.”
Joel Stillerman, AMC and SundanceTV’s president of original programming and development, also highlighted the memoir’s many strengths, calling it “simultaneously heartbreaking, funny, and inspirational.” He promised that the team has “embraced all the things that David would have loved as a storyteller” and that they hope their vision will prove “as timeless as David’s book.”
The project, which comes from Sony Pictures Television and AMC Studios, hasn’t officially been greenlighted yet, but prospects seem promising. On top of that, Odenkirk’s involvement bodes well, given how well his other AMC shows have performed. (After winning over audiences on Breaking Bad, Odenkirk’s character got a series of his own, Better Call Saul.) The actor will executive produce alongside his producing partner Marc Provissiero, Ryan, Myers, Joshua Astrachan, and Marney Hochman.
