The life of scandal-ridden politician George Santos is about to move beyond late-night satires, with HBO Films set to adapt his saga for the big screen. This follows Santos becoming just the sixth member of Congress to be expelled in history, amid a slew of federal charges including money laundering and wire fraud.
News of the film follows hot on the heels of Santos’s expulsion from Congress on December 1st, after 311 of his peers voted to oust him. This expulsion was the culmination of an Ethics Committee investigation into Santos’s financial activities, which allegedly included falsely documented campaign statements and misuse of donor funds for personal expenses such as OnlyFans subscriptions and cosmetic procedures.
The story of Santos’s fall from grace was documented in Newsday columnist Mark Chiusano’s book, The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos, which HBO Films is now set to adapt for the big screen. The film will take a “forensic and darkly comic” look at Santos’s rise to power and subsequent fall, focusing in particular on the pivotal congressional race that led to his election.
Frank Rich, known for his critically acclaimed work on Veep and Succession, will executive produce the movie, and Mike Makowsky of Sex Education fame will pen the script. Chiusano, the author of The Fabulist, will serve as a consulting producer.
“I have now been enshrined in late night TV history with all these impersonations, but they are all TERRIBLE so far. Jon Lovitz is supposed to be one of the greatest comedians of all time and that was embarrassing— for him not me! These comedians need to step their game up.”
Although several actors have impersonated Santos on television, there’s yet no word on who will portray him in the film. Speculation is running rampant, however, with names like Josh Gad, Jack Black, and Dan Levy being thrown around by hopeful fans. Bowen Yang of Saturday Night Live, who recently portrayed Santos in a spirited Candle in the Wind parody, is also a popular choice.
As we anticipate who will take on the role of Santos for the silver screen, why not check out some other gripping political thrillers? Explore a curated collection of movie and TV show recommendations over on HITPLAY.
