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Channing Tatum, Reid Carolin Will No Longer Adapt FORGIVE ME, LEONARD PEACOCK

FORGIVE ME, LEONARD PEACOCK is no longer on its way to being adapted following The Weinstein Company scandal.

Back in 2014, Channing Tatum and producing partner Reid Carolin announced that they’d make their co-directorial debut with an adaptation of the YA novel Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, in which Tatum would also portray a supporting role. While it moved at a slower pace due to the pair’s busy schedule, development has been underway ever since. However, in light of recent Hollywood news, the two have halted the project.

The story follows Leonard Peacock, a teen who plans to kill his former best friend and himself on his 18th birthday after saying goodbye to four prominent figures in his life– a neighbor, a classmate, a crush, and a teacher. As Leonard’s story unfolds, a dark tale of sexual abuse comes along with it.

The rights to Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock are owned by The Weinstein Company, which also distributed the movie adaptation of author Matthew Quick‘s Silver Linings Playbook back in 2012. Over the past two weeks, Harvey Weinstein‘s decades-long history of sexual abuse has been uncovered, leaving the industry rattled in its wake.

Since they don’t have any personal claim to the film’s rights, Tatum and Carolin’s only way to disassociate themselves from the disgraced predatory movie mogul was to step away from the project altogether. Still, the two stressed the importance of Matthew Quick’s message in a joint statement released on Channing Tatum’s Instagram account.

(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

“Our lone project in development with TWC — Matthew Quick’s brilliant book, Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock — is a story about a boy whose life was torn asunder by sexual abuse. While we will no longer develop it or anything else that is property of TWC, we are reminded of its powerful message of healing in the wake of tragedy.”

Read the full statement below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaZa5_HB4WD/

Matthew Quick hasn’t publicly spoken out about the scandal, so it’s unknown whether or not he’s hoping to get the rights to the project back– Something other authors and writers who sold projects to TWC, including Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes, have expressed interest in since the news broke.

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By Kait

Kait is a New Englander, a YA book and adaptation lover, and a Slythindor, as well as a red velvet and red wine enthusiast. She likes to like things. Catch her on Twitter: @kaitmary