Well, this is an interesting pivot for Matt Reeves. After the director wraps work on “The Batman Part II,” he’ll move on to a premier TV project over at Apple TV, with David E. Kelley developing.
Variety reports that Kelley will adapt Tom Wolfe‘s novel “The Bonfires Of The Vanities” as a limited series for the streamer, with Reeves on board to direct the entire thing. Both will also serve as executive producers on the show. It’ll be the first time Kelly and Reeves work together, although both men have several TV credits to their name.
But it’s what Kelly and Reeves are adapting that raises eyebrows here. “The Bonfires Of The Vanities” is one of the most famous novels of the 1980s, and one of the most infamous misfires in Hollywood history. Brian De Palma‘s 1990 film adaptation of Wolfe’s book, starring Tom Hanks, Kim Cattrall, Melanie Griffith, and Bruce Willis, is widely regarded as one of the worst adaptations ever conceived; it was both a critical and commercial disaster, although it never rendered De Palma or Wolfe’s book totally untouchable. 36 years later, though, it remains a shock that someone wants to take this story on again.
But then “The Bonfire Of The Vanities” is considered by many a modern classic. Originally serialized in Rolling Stone in 1984 before its publication in book form in 1987, the novel follows Wall Street bond trader Sherman McCoy through a yuppified NYC as his life begins to fall apart after an incident in the Bronx. Maybe the work’s original serial format will be a strength for a streaming adaptation.
As noted earlier, Kelley will executive produce the show via his David E. Kelley Productions banner, with Matthew Tinker, while Reeves will do so via his 6th And Idaho Productions with Sarah Geismer. Warner Bros. Television is the series’ studio.
The upcoming series continues Kelley’s relationship with Apple TV, one he started with “Presumed Innocent,” which has a second season on the way. Kelley is also the writer, showrunner, and executive producer on another new Apple series, “Margo’s Got Money Problems,” set to premiere on the streamer on April 15. Other recent TV credits for Kelley include “The Lincoln Lawyer, “Big Little Lies, and “Nine Perfect Strangers.”
Meanwhile, Reeves is hard at work on “The Batman Part II,” the long-gestating sequel to his 2022 superhero film. Other films for Reeves include “Cloverfield,” “Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes,” and “War For The Planet Of The Apes.” TV producing credits for Reeves include “The Penguin,” “Tales From The Loop,” and “Away.”
As for who may play Sherman McCoy in Apple’s “The Bonfires Of The Vanities”? A rising star who can act like a real schmuck; we’ll let the reader do the brainstorming there.
