Operation Varsity Blues is a story that has it all: deceit, conspiracy, intrigue, Yale, a cool code name, very rich people, vaguely famous people, pretty people, the Sephora industrial complex, and William H. Macy doing yard work. So it should come as no surprise that the infamous college admissions scandal is already the subject of an in-the-works television series, though it is a surprise that it does not yet appear to be a Ryan Murphy project.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Annapurna Television has optioned the rights to Accepted, an upcoming Operation Varsity Blues tell-all by Wall Street Journal reporters Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz:
Emmy winner D.V. DeVincentis (The People v. O.J. Simpson, High Fidelity) will adapt the book as a limited series. No outlet is attached yet.
The book, to be published by Portfolio, a division of Penguin Random House, details the admissions scandal in which 50 people — including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin; Loughlin’s husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli; and film financier Bill McGlashan — were indicted in a scheme to influence the admissions of their children into a number of prominent universities. Several college officials and athletic coaches were also indicted.
DeVincentis was the executive producer for The People v. O.J. Simpson (and wrote a number of episodes) so there’s still some room for Murphy to jump in. Do it, Ryan, and make Gaga a judge!
Obviously, it’s early days for the project and there are quite a few details that will need to be worked out—including, you know, all the verdicts—before we get to stream this madness. But when they do get around to casting, might I recommend a certain actor with some unexpected extra room in her schedule? Or perhaps she’s more suited for the inevitable Lifetime film?
Anyway, hopefully this series, “limited” as it may be, will still dedicate an entire plot arc to the specific financials of influencer room decor sponcon. I have many questions about how that whole thing works, for personal reasons (I need a new bookshelf!).