“Spotlight” helmer to direct “Timmy Failure” for Disney

PanARMENIAN.Net - “Spotlight” writer-director Tom McCarthy is in talks to direct an adaptation of the children’s book “Timmy Failure” for Disney, Variety said.

McCarthy would also co-write the pic with the book’s author, Stephan Pastis.

The popular book series centers on an 11-year-old boy who believes he is the best detective in town and runs the agency Total Failure Inc. with his partner, a 1,200-pound, imaginary polar bear, and his sidekick Rollo Tookus.

Jim Whitaker, who has a strong track record with the studio producing such tentpoles as “Pete’s Dragon” and “A Wrinkle in Time,” will produce.

Though better known for his adult fare like “Win Win” and “Spotlight,” McCarthy has always been drawn to family friendly stories, going back to when he penned the baseball movie “Million Dollar Arm.” He recently did a rewrite on “Christopher Robin,” a live-action take on the “Winnie the Pooh” tale, and was also a writer on Pixar’s “Up.”

McCarthy recently helmed a handful of episodes on Netflix’s popular new series “13 Reasons Why,” which was the most tweeted-about show in Netflix’s history.