‘American Fiction’s Cord Jefferson & John Wells Board ‘Just Cause’

American Fiction filmmaker Cord Jefferson and writer John Wells have signed on to Just Cause, Amazon’s upcoming thriller limited series, starring and executive produced by Scarlett Johansson, Deadline has confirmed.

Jefferson and Wells will co-write the first episode and executive produce the series. John Wells Productions has joined as producer of the series.

Based on John Katzenbach’s 1992 novel, Just Cause hails from writer Christy Hall (I’m Not OK With This, Daddio), Johansson’s These Pictures banner and Warner Bros. TV.  In a very competitive situation, the project landed at Amazon Studios with a straight-to-series order for Prime Video.

In the TV adaptation, the book’s male protagonist, Miami newspaper editorial writer Matt Cowart, is undergoing a gender swap, with Johansson playing the series’ female lead Madison “Madi” Cowart, a struggling reporter for a Florida newspaper sent to cover the final days of an inmate on death row.

Hall executive produces the limited series alongside Johansson, Jefferson, Wells, Jonathan Lia and Keenan Flynn of These Pictures and Erin Jontow via John Wells Productions. Zara Duffy, Head of Television for These Pictures, is overseeing for the company. Warner Bros. TV is the studio.

In his directorial film debut, Jefferson helmed American Fiction, based on Percival Everett’s book Erasure. The film received five Oscar nominations, including best picture, actor for Jeffrey Wright, supporting actor for Sterling K. Brown, adapted screenplay for Jefferson and original score for Laura Karpman. 

Jefferson, who is under an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, won an Emmy for outstanding writing for a limited series for his work on HBO’s Watchmen. His additional TV credits include Succession, The Good Place and Master of None.

Wells, also under an overall deal with Warner Bros. TV, has been nominated for 26 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning six, including outstanding drama series for ER and The West Wing. He also won an Emmy for outstanding special class program for The West Wing Documentary Special.

Variety was first to report the news.