AMC has optioned The Sparrow and Children of God for a series. AMC is the cable channel responsible for Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels. They’re not afraid of the dark, so maybe this time The Sparrow will fly.

There have been two previous attempts by two big studios make a movie out of The Sparrow for two big stars. Universal optioned it for Antonio Banderas, and then Warner Brothers optioned it for Brad Pitt. Screenplays were written but ultimately, both studios passed.

So I’m not letting myself get too excited. I still remember trying on a dress in 1996, thinking I’d need something to wear for the premier of the Banderas movie. Thank God, I didn’t actually buy it. Can’t remember what it looked like, but grunge, neon colors, hippie florals, and exercise leggings were big then. You may pause here to shudder.

I suspect that what I write is better suited to long-form television than to feature-length films. There is now a real possibility that in a couple of years Doc will be on HBO and The Sparrow will be on AMC. Very cool. Very cool, indeed… But nothing is real in Hollywood until the cinematographer is on the set eating a breakfast burrito. For now, we just sit back and wait to see what happens.