HBO has secured the rights to the Leonardo DiCaprio drama Beat the Reaper. The series, based on the Josh Bazell book of the same name, was acquired by the network in a "competitive situation," according to Deadline.

The series, if it follows the novel, will follow, as Deadline puts it, "a young ER doctor whose life is upended when a patient comes through his ward that recognizes the internist from his old life — when he used to work for a notorious crime family. As his past comes crashing back and his enemies from his old life try to destroy him, he tries to hold his new life together while discovering that everything he knew about his past may have been wrong."

It's not clear whether or not it will be a miniseries or expand beyond the book and become a longer-running series.

DiCaprio will serve as executive producer for the series, which has no stars attached. Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Ocean’s Thirteen) will serve as head writers. Four networks had shown interest in the series prior to HBO making the highest bid.

I first read Beat the Reaper about two years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The book certainly would have had a difficult time fitting in at any other network than HBO; the most memorable scene of the book features a grisly improvised weapon concocted by a man trapped in a walk-in freezer. It's nasty, lurid, pulse-pounding fun, and I can't wait to see it adapted onto the small screen.

No premiere date has been set for Beat the Reaper.