Mark Ruffalo, Derek Cianfrance Team Up on HBO’s Wally Lamb Series

Deadline broke the news this week that Mark Ruffalo has joined acclaimed filmmaker Derek Cianfrance in HBO’s adaptation of Wally Lamb’s novel, I Know This Much Is True. Ruffalo has signed on to star in the eight-part limited series, which will be written and directed by Cianfrance.

Lamb’s 1998 novel, which was featured on Oprah’s Book Club in 1998, follows the lives of twin brothers Dominick and Thomas Birdsey, exploring themes of mental illness, domestic abuse, and dysfunctional family life. In an ambitious move, Ruffalo will take on the role of both brothers.

Ruffalo has been working with Lamb himself for two years to bring this adaptation to the small screen, and both the actor and author will serve as executive producer on the series along with Cianfrance. Ruffalo expressed his excitement that the project is finally coming to fruition on his Twitter account.

Derek Cianfrance has established himself as one of the most talented American writer/directors of the moment, responsible for films such as Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines, and his most recent The Light Between Oceans. This will be the filmmaker’s first television series.

HBO has been especially successful adapting novels into limited series lately, with its recent hit Big Little Lies (adapted from Laine Moriarty’s novel of the same name) receiving 16 Emmy nominations and taking home 8 awards, including Outstanding Limited Series.

Considering the talent behind this latest project, HBO’s I Know This Much Is True has serious potential to be just as impressive.

Caitlin Leale: Currently a graduating senior at Connecticut College, Caitlin is studying both film and European history in New London, Connecticut. As well as working as a contributor for mxdwn Television, Caitlin is a film reviewer for the online film streaming site Flix Premiere (which can be visited at flixpremiere.com). Having also studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and at University College London, Caitlin has an extensive academic, professional, and international knowledge of the film and TV industry. She hopes to later study screenwriting in graduate school and become a writer on a show of her own in the future.
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