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Darren Aronofsky Developing True Crime Show Based On Corrupt Lifeguards
Acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky is developing a true-crime series that focuses on corrupt lifeguards. Aronofsky is a singular filmmaker, known for works like Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, Black Swan, and mother!. Currently, Aronofsky is attached to produce an adaptation of Stephen King's short story “The Life of Chuck.”
But in spite of his illustrious career behind the camera, Aronofsky has never stepped into the realm of scripted television. That is about to change, as Deadline reports the director and his production company, Protozoa Pictures, have secured the rights to adapt the New York Magazine article “Boss of The Beach” into a series with Searchlight Television. Written by David Gauvey Herbert, who will also serve as an executive producer, the article delves into the history of the New York City lifeguard corps.
“Boss of The Beach” was the subject of a lively bidding war, with 10 bidders reportedly vying for the rights to adapt Herbert’s story. There’s no news yet on casting, but it’s a certainty that many actors would be eager to work with a filmmaker as accomplished as Aronofsky. The article is an intricate unveiling of corruption and decadence. It’s especially focused on Peter Stein, who has run the lifeguard corps for the past 40 years.
In that time, Stein oversaw cocaine parties thrown by Coney Island lifeguards where they would get openly drunk on the job. Stein has also relied on tactics like kickbacks and intimidation, and his supervisors have been accused of falsifying drowning reports in addition to protecting sexual predators. Given these harrowing details, the project seems right up Aronofsky’s alley. As the director showed with Black Swan and The Wrestler, he’s deeply interested in flawed and even loathsome characters that do terrible things.
