After the News of the World phone hacking scandal broke, it was only a matter of time before the story was turned into a film. Fraught with crime, corruption and the dismantling of a century- old publication – all of which led to the public disgrace of media baron Rupert Murdoch – the events seemed more fiction than fact. Now movie goers will see it dramatized on the big screen, courtesy of the U.K. production company What’s It All About?.
According to the New York Observer, the company has acquired film and TV rights to Good Times, Bad Times, a memoir written by former Times of London editor Harold Evans. Published in 1984, it recounts his stint working under Murdoch, who took over the paper in 1981. Evans resigned shortly thereafter over what’s described as “lack of editorial independence.”
There’s no screenplay yet, but details suggest that it will cover Evans job at the Murdoch-run Times and include references to the phone hacking scandal. What’s It All About? is currently scouting writers and potential production partners, and hopes to begin filming by the end of the year.
Have you read Good Times, Bad Times? Do you think it’s worthy of a film adaptation?