1 month ago
EXCLUSIVE: Sony has acquired and tapped Oscar-nominated The Holdovers screenwriter David Hemingson to accommodate Pulitzer Prize-winning historiographer Doris Kearns Goodwin’s memoir An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of nan 1960s.
Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman and Eon Productions’ Barbara Broccoli initially optioned nan book and will nutrient alongside Goodwin and her Pastimes Productions partner Beth Laski. Deal comes conscionable arsenic nan paperback version deed bookstores connected April 14. The hardcover was a #1 New York Times Bestseller erstwhile Simon & Schuster published it. It was astir that clip that Deadline broke news that Playtone and 007 shaper Broccoli acquired nan movie authorities for nan book.
The epic, friendly emotion communicative betwixt Goodwin and her precocious hubby coincides pinch nan nonstop engagement of each successful galore of nan astir turbulent events of nan 1960s. It offers a singular way to look backmost astatine a decade defined by profound upheaval and idealism.
Goodwin was a existent Zelig successful nan consciousness he seemed to beryllium astatine nan halfway of each flashpoint arena of nan decade. That started pinch heading a legislature investigation into suspicions that wildly celebrated TV crippled shows like 21 were fixed. His sleuthing ended pinch nan bombshell confession by celebrated gameshow champ Charles Van Doren that he was being fed answers successful beforehand (Goodwin was played by Rob Morrow successful nan Robert Redford-directed 1994 movie Quiz Show).
Goodwin moved from location to go nan youngest personnel of nan New Frontiersman, nan soul circle of President John F. Kennedy. That started aft he joined nan speechwriting unit erstwhile Kennedy ran against Richard Nixon. Goodwin was astatine JFK’s broadside done everything from civilian authorities reforms to nan Bay of Pigs and nan Cold War, nan Cuban Missile Crisis and nan statement of nan Peace Corps. Goodwin’s reside penning framed an era of idealism that sewage somewhat extinguished erstwhile JFK was assassinated successful Texas.
After fulfilling widow Jackie Kennedy’s wishes and securing nan eternal occurrence that continues to pain astatine JFK’s gravesite astatine Arlington National Cemetery, Goodwin past became an advisor and speechwriter of JFK’s successor Lyndon Johnson, astatine his broadside for nan transition of nan Voting Rights Act of 1965 that followed nan globally televised sadistic beatings of serene demonstrators astatine nan ft of nan Edmund Pettis Bridge successful Selma, AL.
Goodwin resigned his White House station because he disagreed pinch nan escalating Vietnam War. He later became an designer of nan statesmanlike run of JFK’s relative Robert Kennedy. RFK’s assassination, piled connected apical of nan execution of JFK and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and nan raging war, prompted Goodwin to exit politics. He go a writer, though he did return to thief Al Gore constitute his concession reside aft nan Supreme Court’s arguable ruling successful Bush v. Gore.
Kearns Goodwin fell successful emotion pinch Goodwin arsenic she began her progression toward becoming 1 of America’s foremost historians and a Pulitzer Prize winning writer of seminal books connected Abraham Lincoln (a ground for nan Steven Spielberg-directed Lincoln), and besides Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Teddy Roosevelt. She became a White House Fellow nether LBJ, surviving moreover aft publication successful nan New Republic of an article she wrote, titled How to Dump Lyndon Johnson. She wrote nan portion earlier taking that fellowship, and successful a different governmental ambiance than we spot today, LBJ publication nan portion and vowed to triumph her over. Apparently, it worked because she helped him constitute his memoirs.
She met Goodwin while astatine Harvard and they fell successful emotion slowly, and joined successful 1975. Eventually, erstwhile Goodwin turned 80, he was yet fresh to look nan sadness of really nan idealism of nan ‘60s ended, and together they cracked into 300 boxes of letters and papers he dragged everywhere, and took connected penning nan memoir. Goodwin died from crab successful 2018, and past it was connected Kearns Goodwin to decorativeness what they started, arsenic she grieved nan nonaccomplishment of nan emotion of her life.
Sony EVP Andrea Giannetti will oversee nan task for nan studio.
Hemingson is nan Oscar and BAFTA-nominated scribe of nan Alexander Payne-directed The Holdovers, and he was nan creator, executive shaper and writer of nan Fox drama bid Kitchen Confidential, pinch Bradley Cooper starring successful nan adjustment of nan Anthony Bourdain memoir. He’s besides written and produced bid including Just Shoot Me, American Dad, Family Guy, How I Met Your Mother and Black-ish.
Hemingson has a towering task here, but he has been talented an ending pinch Goodwin’s past words to his wife. Kearns Goodwin described it to Deadline: “He took my manus and put it connected his chest. And past he conscionable said — and really anybody tin opportunity this astatine nan past infinitesimal is crazy – but he said, “You are a wonder.” And past that was it.”
Said Goodwin: “We could not person recovered a amended writer aliases partner than David to show a communicative that is truthful individual and intends truthful overmuch to me. What makes him genuinely typical is his gift for storytelling, his heavy humanity and heart, on pinch his genuine emotion and heavy knowledge of history and nan measurement he brings it to life—with a uncommon blend of humor, warmth, and nuance.”
Hemingson is repped by WME and 3 Arts Entertainment; Pastimes & Broccoli are repped by WME, and Playtone and nan book are repped by CAA.
