Janet Mock and Ryan Murphy developing Netflix film about former journalist Janet Cooke

By Sam Barsanti | February 28, 2020 | 12:00am

Aux Features Film

Janet Mock and Ryan Murphy developing Netflix film about former journalist Janet Cooke

Photo: Frazer Harrison

As reported by Deadline, Pose’s Janet Mock is making good on her groundbreaking Netflix development deal with Janet, a film that is about a different person named Janet who is a former journalist (Mock is also a former journalist, but again, it’s not about her). It’s actually about Janet Cooke, a former Washington Post writer who became famous for winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1981 for a story called “Jimmy’s World” about an eight-year-old heroin addict. As it turned out, though, Cooke had completely fabricated the story, and after some discrepancies in it and her own career history were made public, she returned the Pulitzer and resigned from her position. Also, her boss at the time was Bob Woodward, who you might remember from that other movie, so that’s fun.

Anyway, Mock is co-writing the screenplay with former Washington Post editor Ned Martel, she’s co-producing with Pose’s own Ryan Murphy, and she will make her feature directorial debut with Janet. Deadline says casting is currently underway for Cooke and Woodward, but we have an idea for someone who could play the latter. What’s the name of that cowboy actor from Captain America: Winter Soldier who turned out to be a bad guy? Frank Grillo? He had powerful Bob Woodward energy.