The announcement comes one day after “Deacon King Kong” was named as the latest Oprah’s Book Club selection.
McBride will pen the TV adaptation of “Deacon King Kong,” set in 1969 when a fumbling, comical old church deacon known as Sportcoat shuffles into the courtyard of the Cause Houses housing project in south Brooklyn, pulls a .38 from his pocket, and shoots the project’s drug dealer at point-blank range. To uncover the causes and consequences of this burst of violence, the novel explores the Cause Houses housing projects, inspired by the Red Hook housing projects that produced McBride.
“I’m delighted that ‘Deacon King Kong’ has found a home with the Sisters. They are big lifters of story, and big believers in the common humanity which makes stories human and worth doing. I’m so excited about the creative possibilities that lie ahead,” McBride said. Jonah Disend of Complementary Colors will serve as producer, while McBride and Brian Taylor will executive produce alongside Sister’s Carolyn Strauss and Kate Fenske.
“Deacon King Kong” is McBride’s first book since winning the National Book Award for “The Good Lord Bird.” His 1995 memoir, “The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother,” topped the New York Times best-seller list for two years. His novel, “Miracle at St. Anna,” was adapted into a film by Spike Lee. Meanwhile, Showtime is set to premiere a limited series on Aug. 9 based on “The Good Lord Bird” It stars Ethan Hawke, Joshua Caleb Johnson and Daveed Diggs.