Rob Burnett says he was keen to make The Fundamentals of Caring because the story 'resonated' with him.
The Fundamentals of Caring
The Fundamentals of Caring is an adaptation of the novel by Jonathan Evison and see Burnett on both directing and writing duties.
And while Burnett read a whole host of novels as he searched for his next project, it was the first book that he read that appealed to him.
Speaking to FemaleFirst, the director said: "It is funny, my agency CAA started sending me novels to potentially adapt; this is the first one that they sent me and I just fell in love with it. However, you cannot just take the first one because you will look dumb. I read twenty more.
"When I was done, I called them back and told them that I wanted the first one and there was a little bit of silence at the other end of the phone. They were like 'Really? We sent you twenty books and you want to buy the one about the guy whose kid has died and takes care of another kid with muscular dystrophy? That is your commercial movie?' And I said 'I know that this will probably never be a movie, but I just love this and it resonates so strongly with me.'"
The Fundamentals of Caring sees Burnett team up with actor Paul Rudd for the first time as he takes on the central role of Ben, a carer who is struggling with his own grief.
Rudd is joined on the cast list by Craig Roberts, Selena Gomez, Bobby Cannavale, and Jennifer Ehle.
The Fundamentals of Caring premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and has been playing well on the festival circuit ever since.
The Fundamentals of Caring premiered on Netflix on Friday.