HBO Developing 'Game Change' Sequel 'Double Down' on 2012 Election

Game Change authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann are penning Double Down: Game Change 2012, an account of this year's presidential election that saw President Barack Obama defeat GOP challenger Mitt Romney, publisher Penguin announced Tuesday. 

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The book already has been optioned by HBO. The cable network aired Game Change, a Jay Roach-directed and Danny Strong-written movie about the 2008 election that in September won four Emmys, including one for Julianne Moore's performance as Sarah Palin. Roach and Strong are likely to return for the sequel.

Penguin publisher Ann Godoff tells The Hollywood Reporter in a statement, "John Heilemann and Mark Halperin reinvented the campaign narrative with Game Change. Their new book Double Down will, of course, break news; but more importantly, it will create the lasting story of the 2012 race for the presidency."

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Published in 2010, Game Change was a No. 1 New York Times best-seller.  

Halperin and Heilemann are longtime political journalists, for Time and New York magazines, respectively. 

The pair were represented in the book deal by Andrew Wylie of The Wylie Agency. 

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An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Game Change won five Emmy awards.