'How to Survive a Plague' headed to small screen

“How To Survive A Plague,” despite not walking away with an Academy Award on last Sunday, may still have a longer life yet.

On Thursday ABC Studios announced that they had optioned the rights to the 2012 David France documentary about HIV- positive activists from ACT UP and Treatment Action Group (TAG) fighting for their lives and the lives of their friends. They managed to get the pharmaceutical industry to focus on testing for AIDS and identifying new treatments.

Although the film was a documentary mostly drawing from interviews and news footage, this miniseries will be scripted.

In the acclaimed documentary, France managed to craft a new narrative around a group of compelling characters, despite the abundance of AIDS epidemic stories.

France and his producing partner Howard Gertler will both be executive producers on the project, along with former Focus Features president of production John Lyons (“Boogie Nights,” “Pieces of April”).

There is not a specific timeline yet, but France told Entertainment Weekly that “we’re in full swing now.” When asked whether or not he has a dream cast assembled in his head, France said “I don’t, but there have been a number of suggestions that have been flying in over the past couple of hours. They’re really fun.”