HBO to Make 'Wag the Dog' TV Adaptation

A series adaptation of the 1997 film “Wag the Dog” is in the works at HBO, TheWrap has learned.

Director Barry Levinson will adapt his own film, a political satire starring Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman, as a half-hour comedy series.

The series is described as “an ode to the classic film, but moving the weapons of mass distraction beyond politics and into business, entertainment, and yes, non-profits. In the 21st Century with the tools of social media at their hands, nothing is off limits to a small group of operators when it comes to manufacturing reality. Fake news is so yesterday.”

Also Read: Michael B. Jordan, Michael Shannon Set to Star in HBO's 'Fahrenheit 451'

Levinson will direct and executive produce the series. “Draft Day” writer Rajiv Joseph will write and executive produce alongside Tom Fontana of the Levinson/Fontana Company. Jason Sosnoff, who produced the original film, will also executive produce, as will De Niro, Barry Welsh and Jane Rosenthal of Tribeca productions.

Political operative and Hillary Clinton supporter David Brock will serve as consultant on the series from Warner Bros. Television.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.

23 TV Shows Most Affected by 2007-08 Writers' Strike (Photos)

With a potential writers strike looming if the WGA and AMPTP can't see eye to eye in their negotiations, TheWrap looks back at the 2007-2008 strike and its impact on TV shows.
"Breaking Bad"

The strike cost fans two episodes of the hit TV show's first season. Also, Hank Schrader was supposed to have been killed off but the writers strike prevented production from doing so.
AMC
"Lost"

"Lost" had just aired 8 episodes from it's fourth season when the strike began, and while it only had a month break, the season lost two episodes in total. They were added to season 5 and 6, respectively.
"Prison Break"

The third season of the show starring Wentworth Miller saw an extremely shortened third season, only having 13 episodes instead of 22.
Fox
"30 Rock"

Tina Fey's NBC sitcom only got to 10 episodes in its second season before breaking because of the strike. After a three month hiatus, 5 more episodes were films but it was still 7 episodes shorter than expected.
NBC
"Ugly Betty"

America Ferrera's ABC show went on hiatus for three months but also had to cut 5 episodes due to the strike.
ABC
"ER"

In its 14th run, the show also saw a shortened season.
"Dirty Sexy Money"

The show was put on halt on December 5, 2007 and returned in the fall of 2008. The last three episodes were pushed to the beginning of next season.
ABC
"Chuck"

The show stopped January 24, 2008 and resumed in the fall of 2008, and the season cut short.
"Private Practice"

The season was cut short and was postponed from December 2007 to fall 2008.
"The Big Bang Theory"

The CBS show was put on halt for four months the first season it was on air, and eventually only got to 17 of the planned 22 episodes.
CBS
"Bones"

The Fox show felt a blow from the writers strike in its third season, where it was put on hiatus for four months after only 13 out of 23 episodes were filmed. When the strike ended, only two more were filmed.
Fox
"Desperate Housewives"

The hit show also received a shortened season and a three-month break.
ABC
"Family Guy"

The fox animated series had 9 completed episodes before the strike began although 22 were planned. When the strike ended, only 3 more were produced.
Fox
"Friday Night Lights"

The second season of the show ended in a huge cliffhanger and seven of the 22 episodes NBC ordered weren't made. The third season returned eight month after the show had to be halted due to the strike.
NBC
"Gossip Girl"

The show starring Blake Lively and Leighton Meester also saw a three-month break due to the writers strike, as well as a shorter-than-expected season.
CW
"Grey's Anatomy"

Only 16 of the 23 of the fourth season ordered by ABC were made due to the writers strike.
ABC
"Heroes"

"Heroes" pretty much derailed the second season due to the strike. It only had 11 episodes out of 24 air, and none were filmed after the strike ended. The show returned nine months later.
NBC
"House"

While "House" didn't see a huge gap between air dates, only 4 episodes were made after the strike, which made audiences lose 8 previously planned episodes in total.
Fox
"The Office"

The U.S. version of the sitcom missed 11 episodes due to the strike and saw five month break between seasons 4 and 5.
NBC
"One Tree Hill"

The show's fifth season missed out on four episodes because of the strike.
CW
"Scrubs"

According to Uproxx, Bill Lawrence was ready to end "Scrubs" after season 7, but then the strike happened and only 11 episodes were aired. The show then moved over to ABC and two episodes produced after the strike aired as part of the eighth season.
ABC
"The Unit"

The third season aired on Sept. 25, 2007 before the hiatus occurred after the 11th episode. The show returned five months later for the fourth and final season.
CBS
"Battlestar Galactica"

Only 11 out of 20 episodes were aired before the show was postponed.
Sci-Fi Channel

1 of 24

Shows like ”Prison Break,“ ”Breaking Bad“ and ”Friday Night Lights“ were just a few of the shows that saw a shortened season due to the 100-day strike

With a potential writers strike looming if the WGA and AMPTP can't see eye to eye in their negotiations, TheWrap looks back at the 2007-2008 strike and its impact on TV shows.

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23 TV Shows Most Affected by 2007-08 Writers' Strike (Photos)

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