Showtime has started development on a new drama series based on an upcoming novel written by Big Love’s Seth Greenland, titled The Angry Buddhist. The book (which is now available) delves deep into the criminal underworld, family dynamics and political deception.
According to the official description, The Angry Buddhist centers around the three Duke Brothers: one a cop studying Buddhism, another an unrepentant criminal, and the third a sly U.S. Congressman running for his third term.
In the midst of the Congressman’s new uphill political battle against sexy charismatic upstart Mary Swain, The three brothers' lives are forever changed by an unexpected murder, the fallout of which none of the Dukes are prepared for. Novelist/playwright/screenwriter Greenland will pen the adaptation from Anonymous Content, and in typical Showtime fashion the new series will mix drama with elements of dark humor.
Set deep in California desert between the trailer parks and amphetamine labs of Desert Hot Springs, The Angry Buddhist novel is published by Europa. Although already released in France, the 400 page novel is expected to hit U.S. stores this week. David Kanter will act as executive producer on the Showtime project, along with Greenland.
Greenland is widely-known for his television screenwriting on the last season of Arli$$ - and later, HBO’s hit drama Big Love. The Angry Buddhist marks the third of Greenland’s novels, with the first being the 2005 The Bones, which follows the pairing of a fictional comedian named Frank Bones and Lloyd Melnick, a highly-successful TV comedy writer. The Bones has been optioned by Sony. The second novel, the 2008 Shining City, centers on a man that takes over his dead brother's dry-cleaning business, and all the dirty laundry that comes with it. The movie rights to the Shining City were bought by Warner Bros., with producer Donald De Line attached. Both projects are currently in active development.
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More on Showtime’s adaption of The Angry Buddhist when it comes up.
Source: TV Guide