Buzz Bissinger's article for Vanity Fair on Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro (the one whose cover test marketed higher than Shia LaBoeuf) has been optioned for a movie. Bissinger sold the screen rights to Universal Pictures for a healthy sum; Peter Berg will direct the film.

The interesting thing here is that the issue of Vanity Fair containing Bissinger's article hit stands barely a week ago; the fact that film rights were snagged this quickly — not to mention having a director named — indicates that there has been a frantic behind-the-scenes process going on here for a while. Bissinger's book Friday Night Lights undoubtedly gave him quite a bit of experience in the whole movie/television negotiation process. Congrats, Buzz.