Rock icon Patti Smith has decided to team up with Showtime for a limited series version of Just Kids, her 2010 memoir. President of Showtime, David Nevins, unveiled plans for the project Tuesday (Aug. 11) morning during the summer press tour for the Television Critics Association, detailing that Smith will co-produce and co-write the series with John Logan, the brains behind Penny Dreadful.
The National Book Award winning memoir centers on Smith's evolved relationship with the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the '60s and '70s and detailed stories of her meetings with musical phenonmeons such as Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix as well as the celebrated writer William Burroughs. Smith reportedly began crafting a film screenplay with Logan in 2011.
"A limited series on Showtime will allow us to explore the characters more deeply, enabling us to develop stories beyond the book and allow a measure of unorthodox presentation," Smith said in a statement. "The medium of a television limited series offers narrative freedom and a chance to expand upon the themes of the book."
Nevins further divulged information of a pilot episode for I'm Dying Up Here, a one-hour dark comedy focused on Los Angeles' 1970s stand-up comedy scene to be co-executive-produced by Dave Flebotte, Jim Carrey, Michael Aguilar and Christina Wayne. Jonathan Levine of 50/50 will direct the pilot based on William Knoedelseder's 2009 book of the same title.
Furthermore, the Showtime president revealed some mysterious yet exciting updates on the Twin Peaks revival, which faced complete turmoil when director David Lynch shortly dropped out of the show's involvement due to budget restraints. Nevins revealed production would kick off in September, largely taking place in the state of Washington, Deadline notes. "I expect [the series] to be more than nine [episodes]," Nevins said according to Rolling Stone. "It's open-ended. I know his shooting schedule. We will let him cut into however many episodes he feels works best."
As for Smith, the punk icon has kept busy as of late, inducting her late friend and fellow musician Lou Reed into the 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as performing Glastonbury, in which she brought out a special guest, The Dalai Llama, to wish him a very happy birthday.
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