The lure of television has ensnared many of Hollywood's biggest names, and for very good reason as they offer a vast creative outlet and in many cases have budgets rivaling major studio efforts. When it comes to HBO and Showtime, they also offer a certain amount of certainty the public networks simply can't provide, and that may be a reason why you've got Darren Aronofsky and Robert Downey Jr. looking to take their talents to the small screen.
First up, Darren Aronofsky is set to adapt and possibly direct for HBO a series based on Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam, the final book in her post-apocalyptic trilogy that began with Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood. In what sounds like a semi-continuation of Aronofsky's Noah, the story takes place in a near future when “corporations have taken over for governments and the genetic modification of organisms is perversely ubiquitous.” After a horrific Waterless Flood nearly wipes out humanity, the remaining few, including those who caused the destruction, try to find a way to survive. Hopefully this turns out better than Hobgoblin, a project Aronofsky and Michael Chabon were collaborating on that the network ultimately decided against. [Deadline]
And then there's Robert Downey Jr., who will be tapping into his past struggles with addiction to produce an untitled Showtime series set in the 1980s Venice Beach rehab/therapeutic community. Robert, his wife Susan, and Orange Is the New Black writer Gary Lennon are behind this one, with Lennon penning the script. This seems pretty early on in development but that is a lot of creative firepower that Showtime will want to make the best use of. [Deadline/
