Golden Globe–winning actor and author David Duchovny is set to adapt his latest novel, Truly Like Lightning, for a possible Showtime series, according to Deadline. The network has put in a script order for the show, in which the former X-Files and Californication actor would star, if the series goes forward.
Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, who wrote and directed the 2019 feature film The Peanut Butter Falcon, will co-write the project with Duchovny, who’s published three previous novels: 2015’s Holy Cow, which received a Kirkus Star; 2016’s Bucky F*cking Dent; and 2018’s Miss Subways.
Published last month, Truly Like Lightning tells “an engrossing story about a clash of cultures and the extremities of faith,” according to Kirkus’ reviewer. Bronson Powers is a former stuntman and recovering addict who’s now a deeply religious member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He lives on a vast plot of land in the California desert, where he follows his own interpretation of how best to live, cohabitating with multiple wives and his 10 children, who are mostly isolated from the outside world. Maya Abbadessa, a 20-something investment-firm executive, has her eye on Powers’ land and enlists Child Protective Services to make the kids attend public school, upending the family’s entire way of life.
Our reviewer gave the novel a positive review, noting that “Duchovny’s characteristically nimble prose not only connects the various narratives, but exposes the complicated humanity of his multifarious cast.” The author is currently set to play Powers in the series adaptation.
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.
