Lifetime is set to begin production on a movie based on the college admissions scandal that saw dozens of wealthy families indicted on fraud charges earlier this year, the network announced on Tuesday.
Tentatively titled “College Admissions Scandal,” the two-hour film will center on two wealthy mothers who encounter the college admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer and willingly partake in getting their kids into top-tier colleges.
The project is currently casting, with production set to begin next month. Varsity Films Inc. will produce for Lifetime, with Gail Katz and Howard Braunstein serving as executive producers. Adam Salky will direct from a script by Stephen Tolkin.
Lifetime’s movie is the second based on the scandal to go into development within just a few months. Earlier this year, Annapurna Television enlisted “American Crime Story” vet D.V. DeVincentis to adapt the story as a limited series.
Lifetime also announced on Tuesday that it had teamed with daytime talk show mainstay Wendy Williams and Will Packer Media for a biopic on her Williams’ life, revealing the highs and lows “from her scrappy upstart days in urban radio to the success of her own syndicated talk show.”
Leigh Davenport is writing the project, which is slated for a 2020 premiere. The film will be accompanied by a documentary on Wendy’s life, produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Creature Films.