Cary Fukunaga to direct all episodes of the event series The Alienist

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Despite working actively on an adaptation of Stephen King's IT, Cary Fukunaga is going to return to the small screen to direct another series from beginning to end. Deadline reports that Fukunaga will reteam with Anonymous Content, who produced True Detective, for the event series The Alienist.

Based on the novel by Caleb Carr, The Alienist has long been considered one of the best novels to not have been adapted for the big screen. The historical tale may be a better fit for the small screen and seems like a cross between Steven Soderbergh's The Knick and True Detective.

Set in the tenements and mansions of Gilded Age New York City, Carr’s 1994 novel tells the story of Dr. Laszlo Kreizler who, with the help of newspaper reporter John Moore and police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, uses the emerging discipline of psychology to track down one of New York City’s first serial killers.

FORRREST GUMP screenwriter Eric Roth will produce the series for Paramount TV and the script will be written by Hossein Amini who wrote SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, 47 RONIN, and DRIVE. There is no word what network will air The Alienist, but I would expect the content will likely make it a fit for a premium cable network rather than basic cable.

Cary Fukunaga is definitely a talented filmmaker and everyone has been anticipating his next project. His upcoming BEASTS OF NO NATION with Idris Elba will debut worldwide on Netflix some time this year. It sounds like IT will remain on hold while Fukunaga directs The Alienist, which I hope is the historical version of True Detective.