Tracey Letts, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter, is officially in talks to pen the upcoming adaptation of John Steinbeck’s also Pulitzer Prize-winning iconic classic novel, “The Grapes of Wrath.” The adaptation will come from DreamWorks, who is currently trying to secure Letts as the screenwriter for the project.

You might remember from your 11th grade english class that “The Grapes of Wrath” was previously adapted for the big screen in 1940 by John Ford. The story is set during the Great Depression as it focuses on the Joads, a poor family of tenant farmers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in the agricultural industry forcing tenant farmers out of work brought about by the New Deal era Agricultural Adjustment Act. Due to their nearly hopeless situation, and in part because they were trapped in the Dust Bowl, the Joads set out for California. Along with thousands of other “Okies”, they sought jobs, land, dignity, and a future.

Letts is most known for winning his Pulitzer for the stage play, “August: Osage County” which was also later adapted for the big screen. Letts is also the name behind the (incredibly rough to watch but also really good) movie, Killer Joe. 

“The Grapes of Wrath” will be produced by Steven Spielberg but he will not be directing the project.