The wild, tragic story at the center of Chappaquiddick has been one of those real-life tales that's been in limbo as a major drama for a long time, retelling the events and aftermath of Ted Kennedy's infamous car crash and the death of Mary Jo Kopechne. Recently, the film seemed to be on the right track to finally moving into production when Fifty Shades of Grey helmer Sam Taylor-Johnson, a very talented filmmaker, attaching herself to the project in the wake of the success of the E.L. James adaptation.

fifty-shades-darker-dakota-johnson
Image via Universal Pictures

Well,about that. It's now looking like Chappaquiddick will be in the market for a new director, as Deadline reports today that Taylor-Johnson will now be taking over directing and producing duties on Gypsy, a new Netflix drama that is looking to debut in 2017. The new series, which she will be working on with Lisa Rubin and Sean Jablonski, tells the story of a therapist who begins taking major chances when she starts involving herself with  people close to her various patients. There's no word as to who will be playing the lead character as of right now, but the series is now on the move with Taylor-Johnson attached.


Frankly, Gypsy sounds much more like the kind of subject material that Taylor-Johnson is fascinated by than Chappaquiddick, and this could end up being Netflix's most promising dramatic prospect since House of Cards. Mind you, Taylor-Johnson began her feature film career with the under-seen Nowhere Boy, about the sexual awakening and early days of musical fame for one John Lennon, played by her now-husband Aaron Taylor-Johnson. And it's important to point out that the myriad problems with Fifty Shades of Grey had much more to do with the script and the casting than it did with her direction. The intimate desires that form sexual and romantic relationships are what primarily interest Taylor-Johnson, and the scant details we have about Gypsy right now suggest that it will allow her to thoroughly explore such thematic concepts on a much broader canvas. Color me interested.

fifty-shades-of-grey-sam-taylor-johnson
Image via Universal