Tony-winning director Michael Grandage, currently represented on Broadway with Frozen, is set to helm a film adaptation of David Pitts' book Jack and Lem: The Untold Story of an Extraordinary Friendship. The film will detail the long friendship between John F. Kennedy and Kirk Lemoyne Billings and will feature a screenplay by A Single Man screenwriter David Scearce.
Jack and Lem tells the story of the deep bond between Kennedy and Billings (Lem), a gay man and childhood friend to the late former President. Despite very different upbringings, the two met as young boys and maintained a close friendship up until Kennedy's death.
Grandage will produce under his production company Michael Grandage Company, alongside producers Andrew Zoppa and Alex Zoppa.
Jack and Lem will mark Grandage's second feature film after Genius, which starred Colin Firth, Jude Law, and Nicole Kidman. His production of John Logan’s Red is currently running through July 28 at the West End’s Wyndham’s Theatre, and as recently announced, will be screened in movie theatres in the U.K. and North America November 7.
Grandage is also represented in the West End with his production of Martin McDonagh's The Lieutenant of Inishmore, starring Aidan Turner and now in performances at the Noël Coward Theatre through September 8. He is the recipient of the Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk, Evening Standard, British Critics’ Circle and South Bank Awards.
