Matthew Rhys and Robert Caro Unique Nicole/Getty Images; Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Actor Matthew Rhys wants to play the powerful New York urban planner Robert Moses in an adaptation of Robert Caro's genre-defining biography The Power Broker, and he says Netflix is interested, though publishing rights have emerged as a holdup over the project. Rhys revealed the Power Broker project on Conan O'Brien's podcast Monday (O'Brien, it is worth noting, is a well-known fan of Caro's, finally landing him as a guest in 2019 after years of trying to book him). "There is a select group of us who have approached a very well-known streaming platform," Rhys said. "At the moment, dear Mr. Caro, he doesn't have an issue with handing over the rights to The Power Broker. The agencies and publishing houses do. So at the moment, it's in this stalemate whereby I know the Flix called Net are trying to..." Related Stories TV 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning' Teaser Has Rapper Warning "We're Losing" Amid Arrest, Trial Threat Movies The Making of 'Steve': Legendary Photojournalist Don McCullin Takes Us Behind the Scenes of the Netflix Drama (Exclusive) "Work things out," O'Brien adds. "Yes, and acquire the rights to The Power Broker," Rhys added. "It's been pitched. They do want to do it." The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro Courtesy "I have no sway in this business at all. I have a little bit of sway with Robert Caro, just because I think he knows me. I've interviewed him. He knows I'm a huge fan and an acolyte of his," O'Brien added. "But I would do everything in my power to make sure that you play. I think you'd be amazing. And I think that would be just a terrific project." "I certainly think it's a story in a book that needs to get made, because the sheer scale and scope of it," Rhys continued. "But also Moses as a human being, as an individual, if you read that play book, is staggering. It lays Shakespeare to the sword, because you cannot quite believe the ascent of that man." The Power Broker, of course, chronicles the rise to power and unyielding influence of Moses, who reshaped New York City and the surrounding suburbs through his expansion of highways, bridges, and other projects. The Pulitzer Prize-winning book was released in 1974 and is in its 74th printing, with Caro revealing that it sold 40,000 copies in 2024, an astonishing number for a 50-year old title. It is not immediately clear whether the Netflix project would be a film, a miniseries or a series, but Moses' story, as chronicled by Caro, would make for a ripe exploration by any media giant. You can see the full episode of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, below. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up noads 'Monday Night Football' Livestream: When and Where to Watch New York Giants vs. New England Patriots Online for Free Live Feed 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning' Teaser Has Rapper Warning "We're Losing" Amid Arrest, Trial Threat Witney Carson 'Dancing With the Stars' Was the "Dream" Robert Irwin "Always Knew" It Would Be Netflix Netflix's New Releases Coming in December 2025 Live Feed 'Smiling Friends' Creators on Season 3 Lessons and Why Fans Misinterpret Certain Scenes Live Feed 'Stranger Things' Star Jamie Campbell Bower Dives Deep Into Villain Vecna's Final Form noads 'Monday Night Football' Livestream: When and Where to Watch New York Giants vs. New England Patriots Online for Free Live Feed 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning' Teaser Has Rapper Warning "We're Losing" Amid Arrest, Trial Threat Witney Carson 'Dancing With the Stars' Was the "Dream" Robert Irwin "Always Knew" It Would Be Netflix Netflix's New Releases Coming in December 2025 Live Feed 'Smiling Friends' Creators on Season 3 Lessons and Why Fans Misinterpret Certain Scenes Live Feed 'Stranger Things' Star Jamie Campbell Bower Dives Deep Into Villain Vecna's Final Form