Not for nothing, but Aaron Sorkin has yet another project in development. With The Newsroom winding down and the ever-prolific Sorkin seemingly swearing off episodic TV, he’s loaded up his plate with a whole slew of projects, including a Danny Boyle-directed, maybe Michael Fassbender-starring Steve Jobs biopic; a long-gestating John Edwards biopic that’s apparently still in the works; an adaptation of Michael Lewis’ Wall Street exposé Flash Boys; and possibly a second pass at his A Few Good Men script, to make it broadcast-ready for a live NBC staging. And now, Deadline reports, producer Mark Gordon has also optioned the memoir Molly’s Game for Sorkin to adapt.
The life story of Molly Bloom, Molly’s Game is not a gritty Ulysses reboot, but the true tale of a world-class skier and top student who plans to take a year off before law school, only to end up running a high-stakes Los Angeles poker game that counts among its regular players Ben Affleck, Tobey Maguire, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Her eight-year run ended in an FBI investigation and a plea deal, which saw Bloom acknowledge her small role in an international gambling ring.
To make the story of a self-starting high achiever navigating a course through the halls of wealth and power even more perfectly suited to Sorkin, let’s just assume Bloom also loves Gilbert and Sullivan, likes to exchange banter while striding purposefully down hallways, and has threatened to turn various buildings into her ping-pong room. Also, let’s assume that Joshua Malina will be playing Affleck, Maguire, and/or DiCaprio; he’s already got the poker chops!