NBC is developing a miniseries based on the life of the first host of "The Tonight Show," Johnny Carson.
The project will be based on the upcoming biography "Carson he Magnificent: An Intimate Portrait" by Bill Zehme. The book and miniseries will cover Carson's three-decade run on The Tonight Show from 1962-1992. The Hollywood Reporter also reports it will include parts from his childhood in Nebraska and his private life including the friendships that eventually propelled him to a successful career in television.
Carson died in January of 2005 at the age of 79. He has been considered one of the most prolific talk-show hosts of all time. He has interviewed more than 22,000 guests on the Tonight Show broadcasting from New York City and Burbank Calif. In fact, many modern comedians have cited Carson as one of the key inspirations behind their career. Most notable is current late night talk show host Conan O'Brien who has been enamored with Carson since he first met him while working as a writer on The Simpsons. Conan recently hosted a retrospective on Carson's career for TCM.
NBC has been trying to push more long form series like this for sometime now. In fact, a miniseries about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has become the focus of controversy for the network, according to Deadline. The network will also be working on a four-hour updated remake and retelling of "Rosemary's Baby" as well as a new version of Stephen King's "Tommyknockers; Plymouth.
As of now there is no word on who will be playing the iconic host of late-night television. So lets open up the floor. Who do you think would play a great Johnny Carson? Comment and share your ideas below. So far, our hopes are up in favor of Jason Sudeikis. While you think, check out this clip of Carson eating a potato chip.
