David Mamet to Helm Film Adaptation of SPEED-THE-PLOW

Deadline reports exclusively that playwright David Mamet will helm his scripted adaptation of his 1988 stage play SPEED-THE-PLOW. According to the site, Michael Polish was originally set to direct the project. Once he departed, Mamet stepped in to take the reins himself. Production is scheduled to begin in February 2017.

The play is a satirical dissection of the American movie business and tells the story of studio chief Bobby Gould, who finds himself under a great deal of pressure to produce a hit. His longtime colleague Charlie Fox brings him a script that will enable them to lure a superstar who always works for their competition. Meanwhile, their attractive temp secretary Karen becomes a subject of a bet between the two men over who will get her into bed first. What they don't realize is that Karen is much smarter than they give her credit for and has her own dreams of making it in Hollywood.

Joe Mantegna, Ron Silver and Madonna starred in the original 1988 Broadway play, while Lindsay Lohan made her West End debut in the role of Karen in a 2014 revival.

David Mamet is the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). He first gained acclaim for a trio of off-Broadway plays in 1976, The Duck Variations, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and American Buffalo. His play Race opened on Broadway on December 6, 2009.

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