Woah, now here’s an interesting project that you never knew you needed but… I for one? Definitely do. The team at Burning Wheel Productions are just finalising discussions with the legends that are Bret Easton Ellis and Irvine Welsh, who are co-creating a dramatised series based on the national tabloid press culture in the US. 

American Tabloid, currently the working title, is set to take us through the decades by following news from a weekly publication into a world where morals, political correctness and things of an ethical nature don’t seen very consequential. We’re told that the series will feature:

A rambunctious cavalcade of pranksters, con men, and rapscallions – in other words, journalists – being brought together from across the globe to change not only the landscape but the power of the press forever from scandalous rumour to political puppetry. 

Shelley Hammond, of Burning Wheel, had this to say:

“To do this production justice we always knew we would require writers who don’t hold back and go way further than most would dare. We are just beyond delighted that we are ready to agree a deal to make this happen with the incredible talent of Bret and Irvine. This would be the first time the two have collaborated professionally – and with the support to allow creative freedom we are confident spectacular things will happen.”

With Welsh and Easton Ellis involved, this could be something very special indeed with both of them having a ridicolously impressive back-catalogue of work and neither very shy of delving into the dark heart of the reality around us.

Burning Wheel also recently completed feature production Creation Stories – a screenplay by Irvine Welsh and Exec Produced by Danny Boyle on the life of British music industry Svengali Alan McGee – Find out more on that by clicking here, and we’ll also bring you future news for American Tabloid as we hear it.