‘Euphoria’ Provocative Teen Drama Based On Israeli Format Set At HBO

HBO has put in development Euphoria, an adaptation of the 2012 Israeli series of the same name.

Written for American television by Sam Levinson (HBO’s Wizard of Lies), Euphoria is a look at the brutality and pleasures of teen existence today. It follows a group of high school students as they attempt to cope through drugs, sex and violence in an effort to make sense of an uncertain future.

The original 10-episode series was created by Ron Leshem, Daphna Levin and Tmira Yardeni. Written by Leshem, writer of the Oscar-nominated Beaufort, and directed by Levin, the Israeli series, which was produced by Teddy Productions and aired on cable network HOT3, was based on the true story of a teenager who was murdered outside a club. It chronicles the lives of the teens from the club a year after the tragedy and the paths they take to cope and escape reality. (you can watch a trailer with English subtitles below.)

The HBO adaptation is co-executive produced by Levinson and executive produced by Leshem, Levin and Yardeni as well as Hadas Mozes Lichtenstein, Mirit Toovi, Yoram Mokadi and Gary Lennon.

Levinson’s debut feature Another Happy Day won the Waldo Salt screenwriting award at Sundance in 2011. He recently co-wrote HBO’s Wizard of Lies and is in post-production on his second feature, Assassination Nation, which he also wrote and directed for Bron Media Corp. and Phantom Four. Levinson is repped by WME.

Lictenstein from ADD Agency negotiated the deal with CAA. Lictenstein is repped by Allison Binder of Stone Genow.