Category Archives: Optioned Books

20th Century Fox Plans Murder on the Orient Express Adaptation

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Agatha Christie’s iconic mystery novel, “Murder on the Orient Express” has been picked up by 20th Century Fox for a new big screen adaptation. The novel was previously famously adapted for film by Sidney Lumet in 1974 with Albert Finney in the Poirot role.

“Murder on the Orient Express” was originally published in 1934 and is the tenth Christie story to follow her iconic French detective Hercule Poirot. On her official site, the book is described as follows:

A group of passengers trapped on the Orient Express in a snow storm with a murdered body and a Belgian detective to keep them company: Murder on the Orient Express is one of Agatha Christie’s most famous stories. It’s an intricate mystery revolving around a group of characters cut off from the world and Poirot exhibits not only the power of his little grey cells but his concern and compassion for humanity.

A modernized take on the story was developed for television in 2001 with Alfred Molina playing the part. Most recently (in 2010), a second small screen version saw David Suchet reprising his ongoing performance as Poirot.

The project is moving forward with Simon Kinberg, Mark Gordon and Ridley Scott producing. No writer or director is currently attached and it is noted by the trade that Scott is looking to serve only as producer.

Rob Reiner to Direct Basket Case Adaptation for Spike TV

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Carl Hiaasen’s best selling novel, “Basket Case” is getting a small screen adaptation by way of an upcoming television series courtesy of Spike TV and FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) in association with Random House Television Productions and Castle Rock Entertainment. Rob Reiner is set to both direct and develop the script for the series.

The plot of “Basket Case” focuses on a great investigative reporter who has trouble dealing with authority, change, women, success, and most of all, corruption. The family-run newspaper he works for is sold to a giant, international conglomerate and after he savages the new and very powerful owner in a video on the paper’s website, he is demoted to the lowest position on the paper, the obituary desk. Obits, however, provide a new perspective into crime-ridden Miami and he soon learns that they are a unique window into suspicious deaths and weird goings on. Using an unusual team of friends, relatives, an ex-wife, newspaper misfits, and his beautiful new boss, he strives to regain his investigative credibility and a saner life.

Reiner commented,

“Corruption, murder, and laughs. I can’t think of a more satisfying combination. Carl Hiaasen strikes the perfect balance. I’m so looking forward to entering his twisted world.”

Peter Gethers (“The Cat Who Went To Paris,” “Old Jews Telling Jokes”) and Jeffrey Levine (“Too Big to Fail”) will serve as executive producers and Alex Taub (“Hart of Dixie,” “Drop Dead Diva”) will write the series. Thom Beers, Craig Cegielski and Stefanie Berk serve as executive producers for FremantleMedia North America. Reiner and Liz Glotzer are executive producers for Castle Rock Entertainment.

“We are thrilled to have sold our first scripted series to Spike,” said Gethers. “What makes it particularly gratifying is that, not only is the show based on the work of one of Alfred A. Knopf’s most beloved authors, we get to partner with Rob Reiner and Castle Rock. It’s a dream combination for us.”

Author, Hiaasen, added,

“It’s very cool to have Rob Reiner involved with ‘Basket Case.’ Among writers of satire, ‘Spinal Tap’ stands as a work of genius. I’m excited to see what Rob will do with my twisted little novel.”

Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg to Headline The End of the Tour

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According to a recent report from The Wrap, Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg have been added to headline the film,  The End of the Tour. Segel will star as the late David Foster Wallace with Eisenberg playing Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky. Lipsky is both the author and central character of the film’s source material, “Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace.”

The memoir was published about a year and a half after the author’s death. In the book, Lipsky puts together a travelogue composed of interviews he conducted with DFW in 1996 during the final week of the book tour for the novelist’s epic tome.

The project will reportedly be more of a biopic, making this one of Segel’s more dramatic roles to date. This will be in stark contrast to the only other film adaptation of  a DFW book to date: John Krasinski’s stylish approach to the 1999 short story anthology, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.

Jason Ponsoldt is directing the project. The screenplay was adapted for film by Donald Margulies. Production is said to begin in February or March of 2014 with Anonymous Content’s Matt DeRoss and David Kanter and Modern Man Films’ James Dahl producing.

Paramount Hires Director for “World War Z” Sequel

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Paramount Pictures and Skydance Pictures are moving forward with the sequel to “World War Z” and have recently hired Juan Antonio Bayona to direct the feature. Brad Pitt is expected to return to star and produce with David Ellison also producing for Skydance.

In the original, Pitt played a former United Nations employee who travels the world trying to stop a zombie plague. The film is very loosely based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Max Brooks.

“World War Z” made $540 million at the worldwide box office despite the film’s production overshadowed in controversy and backwards movement that included a rewrite of the third act. As of October 18, 2013, World War Z has a 67% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 6.2/10 based on an aggregation of 241 reviews. The site summary states “It’s uneven and diverges from the source book, but World War Z still brings smart, fast-moving thrills and a solid performance from Brad Pitt to the zombie genre.” Metacritic, which uses a weighted mean, assigned a score of 63 out of 100, based on reviews from 46 film critics.

At the moment there are no writers are attached to the project. It is also not known what the exact plot of the sequel will follow.

NBC Greenlights Miniseries Rosemary’s Baby

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NBC has officially green lit the upcoming four-hour miniseries remake, “Rosemary’s Baby.” The series is an adaptation of the 1967 best-selling suspense novel by Ira Levin. “Rosemary’s Baby” centers on a young married couple who move into a Paris apartment that has a haunted past. After getting pregnant, the wife becomes increasingly suspicious that both her husband and their neighbors will have ulterior motives when her child is born. The novel was famous adapted into a feature film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Mia Farrow (who about half way through the movie gets a hideous haircut, sorry Mia.)

Quinn Taylor, Executive Vice President, Movies, Miniseries and International Co-Productions, NBC Entertainment, said,

“Ira Levin’s mesmerizing book was a groundbreaking reflection on how effective and influential a psychological thriller could be. We’re looking forward to adapting his incredible work and bringing those indelible characters to a new generation of viewers.”

Jennifer Salke, President, NBC Entertainment added,

“As we move into the event movie and miniseries space, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ represents the kind of attention-getting, surprising project that will make noise for us. The story has been updated and moved to Paris, but it’s faithful to the spirit of Ira Levin’s classic novel. This is a compelling tale wonderfully told.”

The project will be produced by Lionsgate Television, with Joshua Maurer, Alix Witlin and David Stern serving as executive producers. Scott Abbott (“Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,” “Winchell”) and James Wong (“American Horror Story”) will write the screenplay. Agnieszka Holland, who has been nominated for both an Oscar (“Europa, Europa”) and an Emmy Award (“Treme”), will direct.

Production on “Rosemary’s Baby” is set to begin in January on location in Paris. Casting will begin immediately.

Paramount Developing Jack Reacher Sequel Based on Lee Child’s Never Go Back

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Last year’s Jack Reacher film adaptation did decently in the box office despite many fans of the novel panning lead actor, Tom Cruise’s portrayal. Now it is confirmed that the film is getting a sequel based on author Lee Child’s most recent Jack Reacher novel “Never Go Back,” published this fall.

In “Never Go Back,” Reacher goes back to his old Virginia military base to have dinner with a female colleague who he learns has been arrested, and soon, Reacher finds himself being charged with crimes himself. Once again, he needs to learn the truth the way that only Jack Reacher knows how, which often means violence.

The film ended up grossing roughly $80 million domestic and another $138 million overseas, so it is no surprise that Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions are moving ahead with the sequel.

However, Christopher McQuarrie will not return to write the sequel though Paramount hopes he may return to direct. It is assumed that Cruise will reprise his role as the titular character once production on Mission impossible 5 (MI:5) concludes.

Fans of the novel series became vocal over the casting of Cruise due to actor’s stature not matching the description of Reacher in the novels most notably Cruise being rather short compared to the beast of a man that the Reacher character is described. Explaining the casting decision, author Lee Child said that it would be impossible to find a suitable actor to play the giant Reacher and to recreate the feel of the book onscreen, and that Cruise had the talent to make an effective Reacher. Child also said, “Reacher’s size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way.” Of Cruise’s relatively small stature, Child said, “With another actor you might get 100% of the height but only 90% of Reacher. With Tom, you’ll get 100% of Reacher with 90% of the height.”

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Veronica’s Room to Hit The Big Screen

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Ira Levin, the writer behind the unsettling tales “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Stepford Wives,” has another work heading to film. Levin’s 1970’s Broadway thriller “Veronica’s Room” will be adapted thanks to Bob and Harvey Weinstein. They’ll produce, finance and distribute the feature adaptation under the TWC-Dimension label.

Similarly to his previous works of terror, “Veronica’s Room” explores the thin line between fantasy and reality. Students Susan and Larry find themselves enticed to an old New England mansion by its caretakers to meet the sole surviving member of the family. They insist that Susan bears a striking resemblance to Veronica, the family member’s long-dead sister. They believe her presence will comfort the dementia-afflicted woman and allow her to die in peace. But what begins as a simple errand of mercy quickly spirals into a nightmare cycle of guilt, sacrifice, and murder.

“From ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ to ‘Deathtrap,’ Harvey and I have been admirers of Ira Levin, as he has created some of the greatest thrillers in film history,” commented TWC & Dimension Films’ Co-Chairmen Bob Weinstein. “With ‘Veronica’s Room’ we have discovered a hidden gem that is going to reintroduce Ira’s genius to a new generation. It will also provide a fantastic opportunity for top tier actors and actresses to embody Ira Levin’s fascinating, complicated characters.”

No word yet on when production will begin on “Veronica’s Room.”

Daughter of Smoke & Bone Finds a Director in Michael Gracey

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After almost two years in development limbo, Universal Pictures big screen adaptation of Laini Taylor’s fantasy adventure “Daughter of Smoke & Bone” is finally moving forward. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Gracey has signed on to direct the project with a script from Stuart Beattie and original author Taylor.

The first book in the series is officially described as follows:

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages–not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. When one of the strangers–beautiful, haunted Akiva–fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Taylor will also produce alongside Joe Roth and Jane Putch while Palek Patel will serve as executive producer. There is no word on when the project will begin production or who the studio is eyeing for the lead role.

CBS Films Plans Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Adaptation

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Prepare for a nostalgia bomb readers over 20. CBS Films has optioned the rights to the children’s book series, “Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark” written by Alvin Schwartz. You know, those horror anthologies we used to read late at night under the covers or at sleepovers? According to Deadline, the anthology series is being adapted into a film with Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton providing the screenplay. The Sean Daniel Company’s Jason Brown and Sean Daniel are set to produce Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark alongside 1212 Entertainment’s Elizabeth Grave.

“Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark” was originally published in 1981 and later became a three book series which included titles “More Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark” and “Scary Stories 3: More Tales To Chill Your Bones.”

This spooky addition to Alvin Schwartz’s popular books on American folklore is filled with tales of eerie horror and dark revenge that will make you jump with fright. There is a story here for everyone — skeletons with torn and tangled flesh who roam the earth; a ghost who takes revenge on her murderer; and a haunted house where every night a bloody head falls down the chimney. Stephen Gammell’s splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories — and even scary songs — all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark. If You Dare!

The original (incredibly creepy) illustrations from Stephen Gammell were replaced with art by Brett Helquist for a recent 30th anniversary edition of the books. The switch led to some heavy criticism from fans who grew up with the original artists’s truly terrifying images.

There is no word yet on who will be directing the feature or what exactly the film will follow plot-wise. However, if any of the original art comes to life in the film, it will be truly terrifying.

Fox Searchlight Plans J.R.R. Tolkien Biopic

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The film adaptations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is immensely popular and with that Fox Searchlight is tentatively planning a new biopic about the novels author, J.R.R. Tolkien, According to a report from The LA Times, David Gleeson will be providing the screenplay. Peter Chernin will produce Tolkien through his Chernin Entertainment.

The biopic is very originally titled, “Tolkien,” and is said to focus largely on the author’s young life, including his time at Pembroke College and his military service during the first World War. The film will tie his experiences as a young man to those depicted in his iconic fantasy novels. In 2008, The Times ranked him sixth on a list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945.” Forbes ranked him the 5th top-earning “dead celebrity” in 2009.

Currently, there is word on whether Tolkien’s estate will be involved in the biopic’s production in any capacity. Christopher Tolkien, J.R.R.’s son, is infamously not a fan of Peter Jackson’s big screen adaptations. The latest adaptation hits theaters on December 13 entitled The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. It is the second film of a trilogy based on the novel of the same name. 

There is no confirmed anticipated release date for the biopic.