The New York Times recently announced their expansion into Hollywood entertainment with a dedicated group for scripted projects. This will be in addition to the documentary work into which they’ve already started expanding. The Times says the group will be “using [the publication’s] stories as the launching point for fictional projects inspired by [their] reporting”. Caitlin Roper, the New York Times Magazine’s senior editor, will take on the role of executive producer of scripted projects.
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“To bring Times stories to the movie screen, Caitlin will work closely with reporters, editors, our Hollywood agents, and a collection of best-in-class screenwriters, producers and directors,” said the Times’ assistant managing editor Sam Dolnick in a company memo. “Anyone with an idea for a story to be adapted should get in touch with her.” Beyond overseeing the Magazine, Roper – who’s been with the Times since 2016 – has also played pivotal roles in the publication’s interactive projects, such as the 1619 Project and the Decameron Project. She also oversaw a revamping of the newspaper’s A2/A3 pages, and helped develop the Magazine’s Kids section. (She will continue to oversee the Kids section as she transitions into the executive producer role).
In Development
According to the memo, Roper is currently working on a televised adaptation of the 1619 Project at Lionsgate with Oprah Winfrey and the project’s creator Nikole Hannah-Jones. It’s unclear if this will be a solely fictionalized adaptation or a documentary hybrid. “Caitlin Roper [is] one of our most creative and entrepreneurial editors,” Dolnick continued. “[She] is a perfect bridge from the newsroom to Hollywood….[L]ook for her to put us all on the silver screen.” Leave your thoughts on the New York Times’ expansion into scripted projects (via THR) and this article below and in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page and our Movie News Twitter Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Flipboard.
