HBO's Too Big to Fail coming in May

(Thanks Jon Pace for the insider tip) Coming in May from HBO, Too Big To Fail recounts the catastrophic fall of Lehman Brothers in 2008 and the global aftermath. An all-star cast including William Hurt, James Wood, Topher Grace, Cynthia Nixon, Tony Shalhoub, Billy Crudup, Ed Asner, Bill Pullman and Paul Giamatti re-enact the worst financial disaster of our lifetime (thus far, at least.) Directed by Curtis Hansen (LA Confidential) the film is based on NY Times reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin’s book of the same name.

Having the tome adapted for the premium cable network is an important part of educating the public, says Sorkin… Like the book on which it is based, the film will attempt to take viewers inside the room to see the choices that needed to be made as the economy went into a tailspin fueled by toxic mortgages two-plus years ago. ‚ÄúPeople don‚Äôt really appreciate how close to the edge we really were,‚Äù he says. ‚ÄúI think that this project puts that into perspective.‚Äù

It will also show the complexities of many of the period’s leading men. As Sorkin sees it, none of the crisis’ characters are quite as black and white as they’re often portrayed in the media. “There are moments where you want to take them up by the collar and say, ‘What the heck are you doing? You’re really screwing this up,’” he says. “And there are moments where you actually want to give them a pat on the back in a way probably that you wouldn’t have ever expected.” It is these kind of surprises that Sorkin believes make the 2008 period, as well as his work depicting it, so fascinating.

For those who shied away from the weighty book when it hit shelves in the fall of 2009, Fail’s producers claim the movie is as much human drama as it is economic policy gone wrong. “We’re trying to tell the story as factually, accurately and dramatically as we can, and making it dramatic really wasn’t that much of a challenge because the events were extraordinary,” says Gould.

“Ultimately,” he adds, “it is a disaster movie.” One that Sorkin and his growing audience hope will not need a sequel. (Forbes)