Jean-Marc Vallée to Direct ‘Gorilla and the Bird’ Limited Series at HBO

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Jean-Marc Vallée has lined up yet another HBO project.

Vallée has signed on to direct and executive produce the limited series “Gorilla And The Bird,” based on the memoir of the same name by  Zack McDermott, at the premium cabler. It is described as an inspirational tale of a mother’s unconditional love for her bipolar son, following Zack (the Gorilla) as he fights to regain his sanity after a devastating psychotic break, turning to the only person who didn’t give up on him – his mother (The Bird). Once a highly successful public defender for The Legal Aid Society of New York, Zack’s sudden illness takes him on a harrowing journey of delusions and antisocial behavior, leading to his eventual arrest and commitment to Bellevue Hospital.

Vallée will executive produce under his crazyrose production banner. He previously directed and executive produced the entire first season of ’s “Big Little Lies,” for which he won an Emmy in 2017 in the best director for a limited series category. He will return as an executive producer on the show’s upcoming second season. He also directed and executive produced the first season of HBO’s “Sharp Objects,” which was recently nominated for three Golden Globe Awards.

Nathan Ross of crazyrose will also executive produce “Gorilla and the Bird.” The series is a co-production between HBO and Big Beach TV. Robin Schwartz, Marc Turtletaub, and Peter Saraf will executive produce for Big Beach.  Channing Tatum, Reid Carolin, and Peter Kiernan will also executive produce for Tatum’s Free Association. Bryan Sipe is the writer, executive producer, and showrunner. McDermott will co-executive produce.

The deal for the show was negotiated by Endeavor Content and by Jackie Eckhouse Lawco on behalf of Big Beach.

Vallée and Ross are repped by Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern, LLP. Sipe is repped by UTA, Circle of Confusion, and Morris, Yorn & Barnes. McDermott is repped by UTA on behalf of Farley Chase at Chase Literary Agency. Tatum and Free Association are repped by UTA, Management 360 and Hansen, Jacobson.