Who will play Mitt Romney in HBO miniseries?

Penguin publishing announced Tuesday that political journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, who co-wrote the book “Game Change” about the 2008 presidential election that spawned an HBO miniseries of the same name, are now hard at work creating “Double Down: Game Change 2012.” The New York Times reported the new book “is set to appear in fall 2013.”

“The (forthcoming) book already has been optioned by HBO,” the Hollywood Reporter revealed Tuesday. “The cable network aired ‘Game Change,’ a … movie about the 2008 election that in September won four Emmys, including one for Julianne Moore's performance as Sarah Palin.”

Translation: With HBO’s “Game Change” stockpiling awards and nominations, it’s a virtual lock the cable network will exercise its contractual option to dramatize the unsuccessful presidential bid of Mitt Romney.

Vanity Fair’s Hollywood blog enthusiastically declared, “We … anticipate intriguing casting news about who will play (Republican) gazillionaire Mitt Romney and his hypnotically blue-eyed running mate, Paul Ryan.”

At the entertainment website Screen Crush, Kevin Fitzpatrick summarized Tuesday, “It’s believed that HBO’s ‘Game Change’ team of director Jay Roach and Emmy-winning writer Danny Strong would return for the sequel. President Barack Obama was presented in HBO’s adaptation through real-world footage, but would likely be given an actor’s portrayal in a sequel.”

On Thursday, HBO’s “Game Change” furthered its critical-acclaim cachet by receiving multiple nominations for the 2013 Golden Globe Awards.

Jamshid Ghazi Askar is a graduate of BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School and member of the Utah State Bar. Contact him at jaskar@desnews.com or 801-236-6051.