The award-winning podcast Wisecrack could be headed for another medium.
Universal Studio Group’s UCP has landed rights to adapt the podcast —which won podcast of the year honors at the Ambie Awards in February —for a scripted series. The studio won out over other bidders in a competitive situation.
Eli Jorné (Severance, The Walking Dead: Dead City) will adapt Wisecrack and serve as an executive producer on the TV project. Also exec producing are Nick Antosca and Alex Hedlund for Eat the Cat (The Act, Apple TV’s upcoming Cape Fear), Donald Albright and Payne Lindsey for Tenderfoot TV, Conal Byrne and Carrie Lieberman for iHeartMedia and Jodi Tovay and Charles Forbes for Starwipe Productions. Tenderfoot TV and iHeartPodcasts were behind the podcast, and Tovay produced it.
Wisecrack tells the wild true story of comedian Edd Hedges, “who returned to his hometown for a charity gig, only to find himself headlining the most terrifying night of his life,” the logline reads. “What started as a heartwarming homecoming quickly spiraled into a chilling tale when a murderer began claiming lives hours after his set. The ordeal became personal when the killer came to Hedges’ doorstep. The investigation spans from Hedges’ English village to the courtroom and prison, before circling back to the stage where his story began.”
Along with the podcast of the year honor, Wisecrack also won Ambie Awards for best society and culture podcast, best production and sound design and best nonfiction scriptwriting. Hedges and Tovay are currently on a live tour with the podcast, with stops in Nashville, Atlanta and Austin in the next two weeks.
Gemma Levinson and Julia Monyak will oversee the TV project for Eat the Cat.
Jorné is currently working as an executive producer on season three of Apple TV’s Severance. He created and was the showrunner of The Walking Dead: Dead City and has also worked on The Walking Dead, Starz’s Heels and FX’s Wilfred.
Jorné is repped by UTA and Hansen Jacobson. Antosca is with WME and Ginsburg Daniels. Tenderfoot TV is repped by UTA and The Nord Group. iHeartMedia is repped by UTA. Starwipe Productions is with Gersh.