According to Deadline, Justin Theroux is teaming up with Luther creator Neil Cross on a television adaptation of the 1981 novel The Mosquito Coast. The series, directed by Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), was given the green light by Apple.
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Justin’s uncle, Paul Theroux, wrote the original novel, which was adapted for the big screen in 1986 by Peter Weir. That film starred Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and River Phoenix and was a critical and commercial disappointment upon its release.
The plot follows an idealist (played by Ford in the original and Theroux in the updated version) who uproots his family to Latin America.
Cross will serve as show runner and write the first episode of the Apple series with Tom Bissell. Wyatt will executive produce and direct not only the first episode, but several others throughout the season as well.
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Theroux recently won an Emmy for his producing work on Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’, and has starred in HBO’s drama The Leftovers, the film On the Basis of Sex; and even had a brief cameo in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. He also plays the voice of the Tramp in Disney’s upcoming live-action Lady and the Tramp reboot.
