“The Liar’s Ball” coming to the big screen

Story follows the extraordinary battles for control of the GM Building

From left: Harry Macklowe, "The Liar's Ball" and J.C. Chandor
From left: Harry Macklowe, "The Liar's Ball" and J.C. Chandor

“The Liar’s Ball,” a nonfiction book by investigative reporter Vicky Ward that tracks Harry Macklowe’s machinations while redeveloping the GM Building in the 1990s and 2000s, is going to be adapted as a feature film.

The film will be directed by J.C. Chandor, whose credits include “A Most Violent Year,” “All is Lost” and “Margin Call,” according to Variety. Gideon Yago, a writer for HBO’s “The Newsroom,” will pen the screenplay. It is unknown who will portray Macklowe.

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“Commercial real estate in New York City has long fascinated me, to the point where I once had a broker’s license,” Chandor said in a news release. “The story that Vicky has captured through relentless research and interviews explores the drama and the romantic nature of buildings in a city that has continued to push closer and closer to the sky with each passing year.”

“The Liar’s Ball” was released last year. Ward is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and also wrote “Devil’s Casino,” a look at the collapse of Lehman Brothers. [Variety] — Tess Hofmann