HBO & Adam McKay to adapt COVID-19 vaccine search book The First Shot

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

If there's one thing that everyone can agree on right now, it's that the world needs a vaccine for COVID-19. While the search continues for answers, and trials for a cure continue to be monitored by health experts, HBO plans to represent the search for a remedy by developing a limited series with SUCCESSION executive producer Adam McKay.

The upcoming project hails from a non-fiction narrative book by The Atlantic and New York Times writer Brendan Borrell called The First Shot. The book, which was sold at auction to publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, tells the story of the global coronavirus vaccine race. It will explore the companies and individuals putting everything on the line to save lives, the science that it is based on, and the challenges playing out around politics, access, and safety. (via Deadline)

Producing the Untitled Vaccine Project endeavor is McKay's Hyperobject Industries, which the filmmaker will executive produce alongside Todd Schulman and Borrell.

Like many who are eager to learn about a cure for COVID-19, Borrell has been following the development of a vaccine for quite some time. During his quest for answers, he's written pieces titled The Dire Diplomacy of the Global ‘Race for a Vaccine’ for Wired and articles for National Geographic magazine and Science Magazine. He's also dedicated a portion of his time to researching rare genetic diseases for New York Times as well as Australia’s flesh-eating bacteria problem for The Atlantic. In other words, this dude is dedicated AF to being a part of the solution, and now HBO and Adam McKay are looking to highlight his work on the small screen.