THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT TV Series in Development with THE FAVORITE Director Yorgos Lanthimos

The director of The Favourite and The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos, is set to develop a TV series called The Man in the Rockefeller Suit. The series is based on the nonfiction book by Mark Seal, and it tells the true crime story of Christian Gerhartsreiter, a man who posed as a descendant of the famous Rockefeller family.

The original plan was to adapt the story into a feature film and Benedict Cumberbatch was even loosely attached at one point. But, it ended up evolving into a TV series that is being produced by Fox Searchlight Television.

Here’s the synopsis for book, The Man In The Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor, which gives you a better idea of the story that the series will tell:

This shocking expose goes behind the headlines to uncover the true story of Clark Rockefeller, wealthy scion of a great American family, who kidnapped his own daughter and vanished. The police and FBI were baffled. Tips poured in, but every lead was a dead end … because “Clark Rockefeller” did not exist. In a gripping work of investigative journalism, Mark Seal reveals how German native Christian Gerhartsreiter came to the United States, where he stepped in and out of identities for decades, eventually posing as a Rockefeller for twelve years, married to a wealthy woman who had no idea who he really was. Fast-paced, hypnotic, and now updated with more stunning details, The Man in the Rockefeller Suit chillingly reveals the audacity and cunning of a shape-shifting con man.

There’s no word on what network or streaming service the series will air, but this is a fascinating story that should make for a great show!

Source: Deadline