Here's some news that has lots of folks in the television industry buzzing - HBO has optioned the movie rights to the best-selling book "The Late Shift."
"The Late Shift," of course, is Bill Carter's excellent behind-the-scenes look at the battle for late night that led to Jay Leno succeeding Johnny Carson and David Letterman going to CBS and beating the crud out of his former network in the ratings."This is perfect for HBO," said Robert Cooper, the senior vice president of HBO Pictures, in a statement. "It is a unique, outrageousand often hilarious look at the wheeling and dealing in the world of television. It's a `Barbarians at the Gate,' but this time in our own back yard."
If HBO can pull this off - and that remains to be seen - and it's even half as good as "Barbarians" (which was based on the book about the corporate takeover of RJR-Nabisco), a "Late Shift" movie would be great.
It's the real-life story of amazing personalities, huge egos, ultimate triumph by CBS and monstrous miscalculations by NBC. It's also full of the biggest names in television, not only in front of the camera but in the executive suites.
Which leads to some interesting questions about who will play Carson and Letterman and Leno, not to mention those highly placed network chieftans.
And, looking even farther down the road, which late-night talk shows will those actors eventually end up on when they're out promoting "The Late Shift?"
(By the way, I highly recommend the book.)
MORE FROM HBO: HBO is set to go into production on another movie based on an excellent best-seller - "Fatherland."
Rutger Hauer and Miranda Richardson will star in the movie based on Robert Harris' novel.
The setting is 1964 Berlin - 20 years after Germany won World War II and on the eve of Adolf Hitler's 75th birthday celebration. The guest of honor is American President Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., whose arrival will mark a detente in 20 years of cold war between the United States and Germany.
A mysterious death is set off that draws a lowly SS detective (Hauer) into the thick of things.
There's no air date yet, but at least with HBO doing this movie chances are the ending will look like the ending of the book.