Mullally and Offerman to produce Lincoln in the Bardo film

Actors and producers Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman have acquired the movie rights to Lincoln In The Bardo, the first novel from George Saunders which was published by Bloomsbury this month.

According to Deadline, the pair will produce the adaptation with Saunders. No director or cast has been attached to the project as yet.

Lincoln in the Bardon is the first novel from Saunders, a proflic short story writer. It is set in 1862 while the American Civil War is raging and Abraham Lincoln’s son, 11-year- old Willie, is very ill. Willie dies, and the grief-stricken president leaves the White House alone to visit the Georgetown cemetery where Willie is awaiting burial— and hold his beloved son’s body across his lap. Willie is trapped in a realm between life and death—known, in the Tibetan tradition, as the bardo. Here he is surrounded by the voices of ghosts, a sort of Greek chorus of the dead, who bicker and squabble, revealing the details of their lives which they hope to return to, one day.

Saunders said: “I am thrilled to be in artistic cahoots with Megan and Nick, two artists I’ve long admired. I can’t imagine two more brilliant, wide-open, joyful collaborators. This is going to be big fun. My hope is that we can find a way to make the experience of getting this movie made as wild and enjoyable and unpredictable as the experience of writing it — I am so happy to have such fearless companions on the trip.”

Husband and wife team Mullally and Offerman most recently produced Infinity Baby and Summer of 69: No Apostrophe. Mullally is best known for her role as Karen on TV show "Will & Grace", which she will be reprising in the reboot this autumn. Offerman is most widely known for his role as Ron Swanson in "Parks and Recreation".