A movie about George Santos is in development at HBO Films, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Saturday.
HBO Films has optioned the rights to Mark Chiusano’s book, The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos, which was released on Nov. 28.
The film from Frank Rich (HBO’s Veep and Succession) is described as a “forensic and darkly comic look” at the unprecedented congressional race in Long Island, New York, that led to Santos being elected to Congress.
The movie announcement comes days after Santos became the first U.S. House member to be expelled in more than 20 years. He is also just the sixth House member in history to be removed by his colleagues.
The film is set to be written by Mike Makowsky (HBO’s Bad Education), who will also executive produce with Rich. Chiusano will serve as a consulting producer.
According to the logline, the film tells “the story of a seemingly minor local race that wound up a battle for the soul of Long Island, and unexpectedly carved the path for the world’s most famous (and now disgraced) congressman. The Gatsby-esque journey of a man from nowhere who exploited the system, waged war on truth and swindled one of the wealthiest districts in the country to achieve his American Dream.”
Since arriving in Washington nearly a year ago, Santos has found himself wrapped up in several scandals. More recently, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee issued a report that detailed allegations that the disgraced congressman filed false campaign statements and used donor money to fund his lavish lifestyle. He has also been indicted on 23 federal charges, including wire fraud and money laundering, which he has pleaded not guilty to.
Deadline was first to report the news.