Books have been used for adaptations since the dawn of the screened medium, with later years seeing movies and/or TV shows coming from video games, toys and even apps, in some cases. But I think this is the first time I will ever write about a country pop song being turned into a Fox event series. It feels like champagne sipped from a boot is in order.
Carrie Underwood’s hit 2012 single “Two Black Cadillacs” will be the basis for a six-hour limited series from Warner Bros. TV and producer Jerry “WTFuckheimer” Bruckheimer. A cursory look back at Bruckheimer’s career reminds one that the guy has been behind some crazy flicks like Cat People, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Bad Boys II, to name a few, but turning a fairly simple song’s dark narrative into a TV series comes from playing some pretty extreme mind games with oneself.
“Two Black Cadillacs” is the story or two women who have been wronged by the same man, and the producers give it an unofficial tagline of “Hell hate no fury like two women scorned,” according to Deadline. In the song and accompanying video, helmed by the prolific music video and commercial director P.R. Brown, two women are attending the same funeral, each as emotionless as the other. The reason for their blasé attitudes? They found out the man in question was cheating on both of them with each other, so they decided to take matters (and steering wheels) into their own hands. Not exactly The Other Woman, is it?
The video veers into Stephen King’s Christine territory, but it’s a well-produced vid for a catchy song. One that, not oddly enough, doesn’t need an event series based on it. Watch it below.
The Two Black Cadillacs screenplay will be written by Ildy Modrovich, a former writer/producer on shows such as CSI: Miami, Californication and, most recently, Necessary Roughness. Honestly, I don’t know what kind of a writer it takes to turn a song into a solid TV show. It’s a little easier to gauge when songs turn into movies. Coal Miner’s Daughter? Solid flick. Convoy? Not my thing, but it’s okay. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia? You can’t keep Travis Child down! But, and I know I’m harping on this, an event series?
Is it just me, or does Fox just like to present themselves with options for series that are destined never to last? Does anyone believe they’ll let this go for all six episodes?
