Category Archives: Optioned Books

Liam Neeson to Star in Juan Antonio Bayona’s A Monster Calls

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Liam Neeson has been added to the cast of the upcoming film adaptation, A Monster Calls. The film is based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Patrick Ness.

A Monster Calls is set in present-day England, it features a boy who struggles to cope with the consequences of his mother’s terminal cancer; he is serially visited in the middle of the night by a monster who tells stories.

Juan Antonio Bayona will direct the feature. Ness adapted the screenplay for Focus Features. It is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 14, 2016. Neeson joins previously announced Felicity Jones. There is no word on what his character in the movie will be, all that is known is that he will play one of the monsters.

Author Ness and illustrator Kay won the Carnegie Medal and the Greenaway Medal in 2012, the “year’s best” children’s literary awards by the British librarians (CILIP). A Monster Calls is the only book whose author and illustrator, whether two persons or one, have won both Medals.

Dave Franco to Star in “Intern’s Handbook” Film Adaptation

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Sony Pictures recently acquired the film rights to the book, “The Intern’s Handbook: A Thriller.” Then they secured Dave Franco as the star of the project. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Shane Kuhn.

The Intern’s Handbook” follows s a company called HR, Inc., an intern placement agency that is actually a front for a network of assassins whose targets are high-profile corporate executives. The best of the best in this world is John Lago, who can get coffee and make copies like no one else while stealthily ratcheting up a body count.

The story tells of Lago’s stint in a Manhattan law firm, where he’s working as a temp while gathering intelligence for his hit. He then meets his toughest adversary yet: a female FBI agent assigned to take down the same target.

The novel was released in April of this year and is the first in a planned trilogy.

The script for the adaptation will be written by Oren Uziel. Neal Mortiz and Ori Marmur of Original Film will produce along with Circle of Confusion’s Brad Mendelsohn and David Alpert.

Warner Bros. Picks Up Supernatural YA Novel “Invisibility”

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The supernatural romance YA novel, “Invisibility,” is heading to the big screen. The novel by David Leviathan and Andrea Cremer was acquired for film by Warner Bros. The book was published in May 2013 by Philomel.

With “Invisibility,” the two team up to tell the tale of a 16-year-old boy who is literally invisible. He then meets and falls for his new neighbor, the one person who can actually see him. The two the set out to discover the truth behind his affliction, uncovering curses and spells along the way.

Leviathan is most known for being the author of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist while Cremer is the writer behind Nightshade, the popular YA witchcraft book series. 

There is no writer or producer attached. Niija Kuykendall and Cate Adams will oversee the project for the studio.

New Stephen King Movies on the Horizon

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Stephen King will be able to add two more film adaptations to his body of work. “Gerald’s Game” and “Mr. Mercedes” are being planned for film projects alongside the recently optioned tale, “Bad Little Kid.”

According to a report from Deadline, Mike Flanagan is planning to helm Gerald’s Game. The screenplay was written by Flanagan along with writing partner Jeff Howard. The novel was published in 1992 and begins with a couple playing a bondage game, but the act turns deadly, leaving one of them handcuffed to the bed and alone.

The novel “Mr. Mercedes” releases on July 3 but the film rights have already been acquired by Temple Hill and Media Rights Capital. According to Shock Till You Drop, Jack Bender is attached to direct while producers are still looking for a writer for the screenplay. The upcoming book revolves around a driver who runs over a crowd of job searchers with a Mercedes, killing 8 and wounding 15 more — yet the wheelman gets away.

Harry Potter Spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Set for November 18, 2016

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Warner Bros. is not wasting any time. The company has announced that the “Harry Potter” franchise spinoff novel, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will have its film version released on November 18, 2016.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was also written by J.K. Rowling. It follows the adventures of the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander.

The novel is the first in a planned trilogy set in the world of wizardry. It will feature magical creatures and characters, some of which will be familiar to devoted Harry Potter fans. The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.

Ridley Scott Eyes “The Martian” Film Adaptation

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Ridley Scott is looking to direct the upcoming 20th Century Fox project The Martian. The film is based on the novel by Andy Weir which was published as an e-book in 2012 and released in print earlier this year.

The Martian is officially described as follows:

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Matt Damon is currently attached to star in the film. Simon Kinberg and Aditya Sood are attached to produce The Martian with Steve Asbell overseeing for Fox.

There is no word if Scott has been officially hired but rumors are that he is pretty close.

Bravo Developing Bret Easton Ellis Adaptation

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Bravo is working on developing a TV adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis book “Shanghai.” The story is centered around a group of ex-pats living in China.

Andrew Wang, the network’s vp scripted development and production, said,

“With these new additions to Bravo’s expanding scripted slate, we’re taking our viewers on a cultural odyssey into the debauchery of Camden College, through the glittering towers of Shanghai and onto the elite shores of Martha’s Vineyard to do what Bravo does best — tell compelling stories through dynamic and unconventional characters.”

For its part, Shanghai, also from Lionsgate, is being penned by David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly). The project treads into new and potentially rich territory, exploring how many head to China to succeed but often fail when they bump up against unexpected cultural barriers. This ensemble is centered around an aspiring American fashion designer who moves to this decadent city with her ambitious but naïve husband only to be wooed by a powerful Asian billionaire.

Stephen King’s Short Story “Bad Little Kid” Optioned for Feature Film

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No time has been wasted. Stephen King’s newest short story, “Bad Little Kid,” has officially been optioned to become a film. The film rights were bought by Laurent Bouzereau and his production company, NedlandMedia Inc.

“Bad Little Kid” is a supernatural thriller that follows a man whose life changes forever when he realizes a mysterious boy is causing the deaths of people he loves.

The short story was initially released as an e-story in Germany and France on March 14. King says he wrote it specifically for his fans in those European countries who were so hospitable to him when he visited in November.

Bouzereau wrote and directed the 2011 TCM film A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King, which featured King discussing horror films and their popularity with moviegoers. Bouzereau’s other directing credits include Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir and Don’t Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck, which he also wrote and produced. Bouzereau is represented by Resolution and Bloom Hergott.

Constantine Gets Series Order at NBC

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NBC has officially ordered “Constantine” to series. The DC comics series stars Matt Ryan as the titular character John Constantine. The series is executive produced by Daniel Cerone (“The Mentalist,” “Dexter”) with David S. Goyer (Man of Steel). Cerone wrote the pilot episode which was directed by The Descent‘s Neil Marshall.

Here’s their official description of the series:

Based on the wildly popular comic book series “Hellblazer” from DC Comics, seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine (Matt Ryan, “Criminal Minds”) specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight – or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he’s decided to leave his do-gooder life behind, but when demons target Liv (Lucy Griffiths, “True Blood”), the daughter of one of Constantine’s oldest friends, he’s reluctantly thrust back into the fray – and he’ll do whatever it takes to save her. Before long, it’s revealed that Liv’s “second sight” – an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences – is a threat to a mysterious new evil that’s rising in the shadows. Now it’s not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.

Also starring in the upcoming series is Harold Perrineau as the angel Manny and Charles Halford as Constantine’s friend Chas. There series is expected the air this fall.

Straight-Up Films to Adapt Richard Morgan’s “Black Man”

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Richard Morgan Black Man GollanczAccording to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Richard Morgan’s novel “Black Man” (released in North America as “Th1rte3n”) will be adapted into film by Straight-Up Films.

Kenny Golde (Walking with the Enemy) is attached to provide the screenplay with Tripp Vinson also producing through Vinson Films. Lisa Zambri will executive produce.

On his official website, Morgan describes the novel as follows:

Carl Marsalis is a traitor, a bringer of death, a genetic freak and an unwelcome reminder of all that is dark in the human psyche – he in every sense of the word a Black Man. And right at the moment he’s beyond the UN’s juristiction, banged up in a Florida jail for financing an illegal abortion. So when the US police call, Carl cuts a deal.

The 13s are genetically engineered alpha males, designed to fight the century’s last conflicts. But men bred and designed to fight are dangerous to have aroundin peacetime. Many of them have left for Mars, but one has returned. Somehow he survived the journey to Earth, and now a series of brutal slayings has erupted across America. Only Carl can stop him.

And so begins a frenetic man hunt and a battle for survival. And a search for the truth about what was really done with the world’s last soldiers.