The Weinstein Company adaptation of Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock has found its directors in Magic Mike‘s Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin. The pair, who wrote and produced both Mike pics, are also set to produce Matthew Quick’s young adult novel, under their Free Association production label, with Tatum eyeing up the lead role.
Based on the original book by Quick, Leonard Peacock tells the contemporary story of a teenager who takes a loaded pistol to school. Confronting his four best friends, he reveals hours of secrets leading up to the fateful moment. Should he take on a role, Tatum is thought to be considering the part of a heroic teacher who intervenes.
If the subject matter might not suit your tastes, then consider the author. Quick’s previous page-to-screen effort, Silver Linings Playbook, went on to score enormous successes both critically and financially. He’s an incredibly skilled writer who handles delicate matters with a careful approach. Seems he’s on a winning streak as his upcoming book, Love May Fail, is also in development at Sony with Sam Raimi attached to direct.
Back to Peacock, and Tatum and Carolin are currently on the search for a writer to pen the screenplay. An earlier adaptation of the book was completed by The Spectacular Now‘s James Ponsdolt, though it’s unclear if he’ll be receiving a story credit, or even if his script is being used as a jumping off point.
That’s all we’ve got thus far on Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, but we’ll keep you in the loop when any new developments arise. Until then, check out the official synopsis from Little, Brown & Company and let us know if you think Tatum and Carolin are a good fit for the material.
In addition to the P-38, there are four gifts, one for each of my friends. I want to say good-bye to them properly. I want to give them each something to remember me by. To let them know I really cared about them and I’m sorry I couldn’t be more than I was—that I couldn’t stick around—and that what’s going to happen today isn’t their fault.
Today is Leonard Peacock’s birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather’s P-38 pistol.
But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate, Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school’s class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.
In this riveting look at a day in the life of a disturbed teenage boy, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made—and the light in us all that never goes out.
