‘Lake Success’: Jake Gyllenhaal to Star in HBO Series Based on Acclaimed Novel
Jake Gyllenhaal is coming to television. The Oscar nominee is set to star in and produce “Lake Success,” a limited series for HBO based on the novel by Gary Shteyngart, with the author himself serving as co-writer and -showrunner alongside Tom Spezialy. It will be Gyllenhaal’s first time starring in a TV series. “Lake Success” follows Barry Cohen, a hedge-fund manager who leaves behind his wife and autistic son in New York as he embarks on a cross-country bus ride to track down his college girlfriend.
“Gary’s novel is a beautifully executed character study highlighting the depth of human contradiction and complication, set against the timely backdrop of America today,” said Gyllenhaal and co-executive producer Riva Marker in a joint statement. “We are thrilled to partner with HBO, who has consistently been home to some of the most exciting and acclaimed premium content over the past two decades.”
Gyllenhaal’s career has unfolded almost entirely on the silver screen, with just three television credits to his name other than hosting “Saturday Night Live” 12 years ago: he played himself on one episode each of “Inside Amy Schumer” and “Man vs. Wild,” and appeared in a 1994 episode of “Homicide: Life on the Street,” directed by his father Stephen. He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in “Brokeback Mountain” opposite Heath Ledger, plus Golden Globe nods for “Love and Other Drugs” and “Nightcrawler.”
Shteyngart is the author of such novels as “Little Failure,” “Absurdistan,” “Super Sad True Love Story,” and “The Russian Debutante’s Handbook.” Spezialy has worked on everything from “The Leftovers” and “Castle Rock” to “Ash vs. Evil Dead” and HBO’s upcoming adaptation of “Watchmen,” which was previously adapted for film by Zach Snyder.
Gyllenhaal most recently appeared in “Wildlife,” “The Sisters Brothers,” and “Velvet Buzzsaw.” He’ll next be seen in this summer’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” in which he plays Mysterio.
