Motive Pictures To Adapt Gary Stevenson’s Biography ‘The Trading Game’ Into Limited Series 

EXCLUSIVE: Motive Pictures had acquired the rights to develop popular British economist and YouTuber Gary Stevenson’s autobiography The Trading Game into a limited TV series. 

We understand Motive Pictures landed the rights following a competitive and lengthy option process. The Sunday Times bestseller will be adapted by screenwriter Gregory Burke (Atomic, Rebus, ‘71).  The deal was negotiated by Lesley Thorne of Aitken Alexander Associates Ltd on behalf of Gary Stevenson and his literary agent Chris Wellbelove.

Described as a “propulsive, deeply compelling, and human exploration of the dark side of capitalism,” The Trading Game tells the story of Stevenson’s journey as a working-class kid from East London who rises to become the top trader in the world for Citibank before a crippling descent into depression.

The synopsis reads: Intense, funny, and sometimes grotesque, the narrative takes readers on an unvarnished, white-knuckle journey to the dark heart of an intoxicating world and shines a piercing spotlight on the financial industry, how it’s shaped the cost-of-living crisis and why the ever-growing scourge of inequality is a danger to us all.

“I’m looking forward to collaborating with Greg and the talented team at Motive on my story and seeing it brought to life on screen,” Stevenson said of this morning’s news. 

Stevenson is perhaps best known to audiences internationally by his YouTube handle Garys Economics, which has become wildly popular along with his wider social media accounts. On both, Stevenson provides analysis of contemporary politics and economics informed by his time as a trader. His story has often been compared to former American stockbroker Jordan Belfort. Trainspotting writer Irvine Welsh has described The Trading Game as “The Wolf of Wall Street with a moral compass.”

“When I read The Trading Game, Gary’s story seemed to me a perfect encapsulation of the dysfunction at the heart of capitalist society in the twenty-first century,” Burke said. “It is about an outsider’s journey through one of the financial institutions at the center of the UK and global economy, and the moral and intellectual sacrifices he had to make in order to succeed. But much more than that, it shows how the individual becomes trapped and lays bare how the institution, and the financial system it is part of has contributed to the economic and political landscape we are dealing with today. I cannot wait to bring his story to the screen.”

The Trading Game has been published in 13 territories and featured in the Sunday Times bestseller list for eight weeks, with two weeks at number one.

The Trading Game is the latest series option from Motive Pictures following The Woman in the Wall, which launched on BBC One and Showtime, and One Night which landed on Paramount+. The Fifth Season-backed company next has Get Millie Black for Channel 4 and HBO.