HBO & Ayad Akhtar Developing Screen Adaptation of Pulitzer Prize Winner DISGRACED

Following its Broadway run, Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer Prize winning play DISGRACED will soon be heading to HBO.

The playwright recently sat down with The Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones, where he confirmed he was currently at work on a television adaptation of his work for the premium cable channel.

Under his deal with HBO, Akhtar is also scripting a new series "dealing with the global connections and geopolitical implications of the financial world."

Click here to check out the Tribune's full interview with Akhtar.

In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Disgraced received Obie and Joseph Jefferson Awards.

DISGRACED began as a part of the AracaWorks reading series three years ago and went on to be produced by Chicago's American Theater Company, LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater in New York, and London's Bush Theatre.

DISGRACED is the story of a successful Muslim-American lawyer and his wife -- an artist influenced by Islamic tradition -- enjoying their comfortable and successful life on New York's Upper East Side. When a co-worker and her husband come to dinner, what begins as polite table conversation explodes, leaving everyone's relationships and beliefs about race and identity in shards.

The cast of Disgraced on Broadway included Hari Dhillon, Gretchen Mol, Danny Ashok, Karen Pittman and Josh Radnor. Kimberly Senior, who helmed the two previous US productions, directs. The design team featured John Lee Beatty (set), Jennifer von Mayrhauser (costumes), Ken Posner (lighting), and Jill DuBoff (sound).

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus