Annapurna Television has enlisted “American Crime Story” vet D.V. DeVincentis to adapt the story of the recent college admissions scandal that has swept up TV stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, among dozens of other parents.
DeVincentis, who served as executive producer on “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” the first season of the FX crime anthology, is set to write the hour-long series. No network or streamer is attached to the project yet.
The series, which does not have a set episode count, will be based on the upcoming book by Wall Street Journal reporters Melissa Korn and Jen Levitz. Titled “Accepted,” the book will be published by Portfolio, a division of Penguin Random House.
The scandal centered around a California man, William Singer, who ran a business to help students gain admission into the college of their choice, according to charging documents filed by federal prosecutors back in March.
The alleged scam involved Singer being paid a pre-set amount by parents. Singer then allegedly funneled the money to either an SAT or ACT administrator or a college athletic coach. The scheme would work in one of two ways, according to prosecutors: The coaches would arrange a fake profile that listed the prospective student as an athlete, or exam administrators would either hire proctors to take the test or correct the answers of a student after the fact.
Former “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman and “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin were among 46 people arrested back in March as part of a nationwide college admissions cheating case. The parents were charged with paying bribes of up to $6 million to get their children into top universities like Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and USC.
Huffman entered a guilty plea last month to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, which comes with a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded not guilty on fraud and money laundering charges.
Collider first reported the news of the adaptation.