George Santos Film in production at HBO Films from ‘Veep’ EP Frank Rich

EXCLUSIVE: The meteoric political rise of George Santos and the web of fabulous stories on which he was built are covered in the film. HBO Films has picked up the rights to Mark Chiusano’s new book, The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos, to be released on November 28, 2023.

The news follows Santos’ career in Washington DC which came to a dramatic end yesterday when he was expelled from Congress for alleged ethics violations, including donations spent on trendy subscription site OnlyFans and Botox treatments. He denied the allegations and vowed to fight back.

The film, currently in development, is described as a forensic and darkly comic look at the crazy, unprecedented congressional campaign on Long Island that led to Santos’ election to Congress. It comes from Frank Rich, who produced HBO’s Emmy-winning satire Washington DC Weep as well as the network’s Emmy-winning drama Succession.

Written by Mike Makowsky (HBOs Bad education), the film tells the story of a seemingly small local race that ended a battle for the soul of Long Island and unexpectedly paved the way for the world’s most famous (and now disgraced) congressman. It follows the Gatsby-esque journey of a man from nowhere who exploited the system, waged war against the truth, and defrauded one of the richest counties in the country in order to achieve his American dream.

Rich and Makowsky serve as executive producers, while Chiusano serves as consulting producer.

Even before he was sworn into Congress in January, Santos drew widespread attention when revelations about the falsification of his resume and background emerged. He already faces criminal charges, and the Justice Department filed a number of other charges against him last month, including wire fraud and identity theft. He pleaded not guilty.

Ted Johnson contributed to this report.