Annapurna Pictures has partnered with Susan and Robert Downey Jr.‘s Team Downey production company on a new, untitled feature film based on the episode “Man of the People” from Gimlet Media’s “Reply All” podcast, the company announced on Monday.
Richard Linklater is set to direct the project with Robert Downey Jr. attached to star.
The podcast tells the true story of charlatan Dr. John Brinkley who scams his way to fame and fortune in the 1920s using fake medicine, populism and the newest technology of the time: radio. As Brinkley’s fame grows, he gets the attention of Dr. Morris Fishbein, editor of the AMA who begins a decade long quest to take him down.
“Reply All” a show that features stories about how people shape technology, and how technology shapes people, aired “Man of the People” on Jan. 19, 2017.
Team Downey will produce the upcoming movie alongside Annapurna’s Megan Ellison. Linklater is set to co-produce through his Detour Film production banner with Gimlet Media’s P.J. Vogt, Tim Howard and Chris Giliberti.
CAA represents Gimlet Media, Linklater and Downey Jr.