HBO May Develop A COVID-19 Vaccine Drama With Adam McKay To Produce

Game of Thrones network HBO has won the rights to a book about the search for a COVID-19 vaccine, and the company has hired Anchorman writer-director Adam McKay to produce.

The show would be based on the book, "The First Shot," by journalist Brendan Borrell. The book hasn't been written yet, but HBO was enthusiastic enough to option the rights based off its proposal.

The book follows the race between numerous companies to find a vaccine for the coronavirus. The show will examine the "companies and individuals involved, the science that it is based on, and the challenges playing out around politics, access, and safety," Variety reported.

Importantly, all that HBO has done here is option the rights to The First Shot. The network has not announced any plans to start production or hire a writing crew or cast.

The race to find a vaccine has made international headlines recently. The United States recently paid close to $2 billion to secure hundreds of millions of vaccine doses when they are ready. The British government has also ordered many millions of vaccine doses. The race between companies like Pfizer and BioNTech will presumably be part of the new HBO show if it's made.

In addition to directing the Will Ferrell comedies Anchorman, The Other Guys, and Step Brothers, McKay has directed more serious material such as the banking movie The Big Short and the Dick Cheney film Vice.