Werner Herzog To Direct Fordlandia TV Series for Hyde Park

Ashok Amritraj's Hyde Park Entertainment Group has acquired the rights to the Pulitzer Prize novel FORDLANDIA and tapped legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog to direct a television series based on Greg Grandin's best-seller. Academy Award® nominee Christopher Wilkinson (GEMINI MAN, PAWN SACRIFICE, ALI and NIXON) is writing the project and will executive produce.

FORDLANDIA is an epic drama series that tells the extraordinary true story of the richest man in the world in the 1920s, Henry Ford, and his attempt to recreate small-town America deep in the heart of the Amazon. Amritraj and Herzog are also serving as executive producers, with Addison Mehr and Priya Amritraj co-producing the project.

"Fordlandia is an incredible true story and we are thrilled to be working with Werner, one of the world's most iconic filmmakers, and Chris, a truly exceptional writer" Amritraj said. "The story of a tycoon with absolute power imposing his vision of America on the world is extremely relevant today."

Herzog received the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival for the Amazonian adventure tale FITZCARALDO. Recent films include the Emmy-nominated documentary INTO THE INFERNO, QUEEN OF THE DESERT starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Pattinson, the award-winning Sundance documentary GRIZZLY MAN, and the Academy Award ® nominated ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD

Chris Wilkinson recently adapted Playing Dirty, the true story of Anthony BOSCH as a four part limed series for HBO, and is currently writing FERRARI for Robert De Niro and BARRY Levinson. Other recent projects include PAWN SACRIFICE with Toby Maguire, Oliver Stone's NIXON, and MILES AHEAD with Don Cheadle.

Hyde Park continues its long-term feature film financing partnership with ImageNation Abu Dhabi. The next film fully financed by Hyde Park - ImageNation is "PREY", a co-production with Blumhouse Productions, produced by Amritraj and Jason Blum. Hyde Park recently had "The Seagull" at the Tribeca Film Festival starring Annette Bening and Saoirse Ronan. Following Amritraj's appointment as a United Nations India Goodwill Ambassador, Hyde Park continues its focus on socially oriented content and recently produced the documentary, LOUDER TOGETHER narrated by Hugh Jackman, and featuring Coldplay, Jay Z, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Michelle Obama, and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousefzai.

The Hyde Park book deal for FORDLANDIA was handled by Steve Fisher at APA on behalf of Greg Grandin and Dave Ryan at Felker Toczek Gelman Suddleson on behalf of Hyde Park Entertainment Group.

Werner Herzog and Christopher Wilkinson are represented by Gersh.

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