George Robinson To Star In Feature Take Of Texas Monthly Article ‘Still Life’; Kevin James & Jeff Sussman Producing

March 9, 2022

EXCLUSIVE: George Robinson, the star of Netflix’s Sex Education, is attached to headline the movie Still Life based on the award-winning Texas Monthly 2009 article of the same name written by Skip Hollandsworth.

Still Life tells the true story of John McClamrock, to be played by Robinson, and his mother Ann. The two made a life together within the walls of their small Dallas home after John was paralyzed by an errant tackle on a Dallas high school football field in 1973. John McClamrock’s story garnered worldwide attention and support.

The film will be produced by Jim Whitaker and Jeff Sussman and directed by Samantha Buck and Marie Schlingmann. Scott Brown, Texas Monthly president, Megan Creydt of Texas Monthly, and Kevin James are EPs.

The screenplay, originally by Jon Boyer and rewritten by Buck and Schlingmann, is based closely on the article as well as personal accounts from the McClamrock family.

Buck grew up in Dallas mere blocks from the McClamrocks’ neighborhood. Both come to the project with a deep understanding and passion for the family’s story.

Robinson has been praised for his role on Sex Education which brings authentic disability representation to the screen. Robinson himself is tetraplegic after injuring his spinal cord during a rugby match in 2015.

Buck and Schlingmann are the writers and directors of Sister Aimee, a fictional rendering of the disappearance of 1920’s evangelist Sister Aimee Semple McPherson, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. In series, they developed a series for HBO, The Big D, based on their short The Mink Catcher about the crossroads of sexuality and politics in Dallas 1980, and are working with Sony Television on an adaptation of Celia Lasky’s novel Under the Rainbow. Buck also directed the Peabody award-winning documentary Best Kept Secret (New York Times Critic’s Pick, PBS series POV, nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award).

Whitaker is currently finishing the live action film Peter Pan & Wendy with David Lowery. His previous credits through his producing deal with Disney include Timmy Failure with Tom McCarthy and A Wrinkle in Time with Ava DuVernay, amongst others. Adam Borba and Taylor Chestnut are overseeing production and development for Whitaker Entertainment.

Sussman and James of Hey Eddie Productions recently produced the recently released Netflix film Home Team. Their previous credits include True Memoirs of an International Assassin and Here Comes the Boom.

Texas Monthly recently signed a first-look deal with HBO and HBO Max. HBO Max is already in production, with Lionsgate Television, on the limited series Love and Death, based on the Texas Monthly Press book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs, and on articles in Texas Monthly titled “Love and Death in Silicon Prairie.” Also in development at HBO Max is an adaptation of “When ‘Angels in America’ Came to East Texas.” Texas Monthly has numerous articles and podcasts into various stages of development and production, with partners who include George Clooney, Laura Dern, Tom Hanks, Taylor Sheridan, and Renée Zellweger, as well as HBO and HBO Max, ABC, Discovery Plus, Netflix, Paramount, and Starz.

Robinson is represented by United Agents. Buck and Schlingmann are represented by ICM Partners, Mosiac, and Victoria Cook at FKKS. James is represented by UTA and Jeff Sussman Management. Texas Monthly is represented by CAA.