Category Archives: Optioned Books

Francis Lawrence Signs On To Direct Mockingjay Part 1 and 2

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When Gary Ross left the The Hunger Games franchise after the first film, it was up in the air whether or not new director Francis Lawrence would stick around. Thankfully, he recently announced that he would be also helming the two part adaptation of the final novel, Mockingjay. 

Lawrence came in to take over directing the second adaptation of Catching Fire which is currently filming in Atlanta.

Franchise star, Josh Hutcherson, who plays Peeta Mellark, commented on the new director saying,

“He’s fantastic. He’s such a smart guy. He has some great ideas for the movie. I just really like where his head is at. I really like him a lot.”

Catching Fire also sees the addition of several new cast members as fans are given a whole new set of tributes for the 75th Hunger Games Quarter Quell. Main cast members Jennifer Lawrence, Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, and Elizabeth Banks also return.

New cast members include Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee, Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair, Jeffrey Wright as Beetee, Amanda Plummer as Wiress, Jena Malone as Johanna Mason, Lynn Cohen as Mags, Meta Golding as Enobaria, Bruno Gunn as Brutus, Alan Ritchson as Gloss, E. Roger Mitchell as Chaff, Maria Howell as Seeder, Stephanie Leigh Schlund as Cashmere.

Catching Fire will hit theaters on November 22, 2013.

John Dies at the End

‘John Dies at the End’ Trailer Reveal

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John Dies at the End

Start with some Bill and Ted, add some Evil Dead, Cheech and Chong, Men in Black and even a dash of A Scanner Darkly, pop it all into a blender and you’ll probably get a black, vile substance which causes hallucinations and one that no intelligent human being would touch with a ten foot pole; no would dare ingest it, that is, except for maybe a couple of pin heads called John and Dave. The bumbling pair are also the heroes in an epic new cult classic in the making called John Dies at the End. Today we’ve got the trailer, hot off of those proverbial presses.

John Dies at the End will hit theaters in limited release, beginning on January 25th. The darkly comedic horror thrill ride comes from the demented mind of Don Coscarelli, who did the screenwriting for the project, inspired from the novel of the same name, written by Jason Pargin, who published it under the pseudonym David Wong.

Don Coscarelli also directs John Dies at the End. If you want to get an idea of the brilliant insanity lurking in the recesses of this man’s mind, just take a gander at his previous work. In 1979 he unveiled Phantasm, which he wrote, directed and produced, starring Michael Baldwin. The villain at the the heart of the tale is a frightening undertaker who transforms the dead into dwarf zombies who assist him in his campaign to take over the world.

The real gem in his body of work, to me; however, remains Bubba Ho-tep, inspired by the novella from Joe R. Lansdale. Bruce Campbell stars in the 2002 release, which is very nearly ‘Nuff Said. The heroes in that film, trying to save the world from zombies, are Elvis Presley, as acted by Campbell, and his side-kick, Jack, played by Ossie Davis. Now Elvis, in an attempt to escape the pressures of his fame, switched places with an impersonator named Sebastian Haff. Haff is the fellow who actually died in 1977, leaving Elvis to a life of impersonating himself. As if that weren’t pure gold on its own, his side-kick Jack, believes himself to be, though it is never proven, President John F. Kennedy. Apparently after the “attempted” assassination, Lyndon Johnson dyed him black and stashed him in a nursing home.

We can only assume the new film, John Dies at the End, will be just as chilling, goofy, and brilliant. The film stars Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes and the exuberant Paul Giamatti. Events unravel as a new drug called Soy Sauce hits the streets. Users explore time and space with each hit, but nothing that otherworldly can go without consequences. Some users are coming back…changed. That means there is in all out invasion going down and only John and Dave can save the world. They’ll give it the old college try at least…. Did I mention they both dropped out of college? Oops.

Paul Giamatti is also helping to executive produce the project. He told Ain’t It Cool News in an interview, that the film was like a “violent adult cartoon” and cutting any of the terrific scenes during the editing process was going to be very painful.

No man, it’s almost like an embarrassment of riches, that thing. It’s almost going to be like what’s going to be tragic is what’s going to have to go, because stuff is going to have to go and it’s like it will kill me whatever goes because you want it all to be in there and you’ve still got to have this stuffed bag of stuff.”

You can watch the trailer below:

Boris Kodjoe from ‘Undercovers’ to ‘Addicted’

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Addicted

Beefcake, Boris Kodjoe, has a new gig coming up. He’ll lead the cast in an upcoming adaptation of the Zen novel, Addicted. One byline for the novel reads, “A woman’s sexual addiction will be her downfall or her liberation.”

Lionsgate has acquired the big screen rights to Addicted, which is a best seller from a lady who really knows romance. If you’ve yet to hear about Zane, I can tell you she’s a New York Times bestselling author, whose other books include Afterburn and the Flava series. She’s also the mind behind Zane’s Sex Chronicles, as spicy series on Cinemax. Zane has a spirited voice when she writes, and the protagonist of Addicted is irreverent and candid.

Addicted tells the story of a successful African-American businesswoman named Zoe Reynard. Zoe has it all; a marriage with her childhood sweetheart, three great kids, and a very successful company. She’s also a sex addict, and its that detail that threatens to topple everything she’s worked so hard to build.

Zoe seeks help through therapy and its in those sessions that she finally reveals her scandalous tale. The men whose company she has enjoyed in secret range from the dangerously violent, to a sensitive artist. And yet, as her life begins to take a swan dive down, she’ll discover that she has the choice to uncover the roots of her issues or lose everything.

Bille Woodruff, director of Honey, will helm the adaptation project. Woodruff also directed the Toni Braxton video for the hit song “Un-Break My Heart”, among many others.

Kodjoe played a role in Resident Evil: Retribution and was the lead in the J.J. Abrams action series, Undercovers. I never noticed Kodjoe’s accent before, probably because I always see him playing American roles, but his parents are German and he was born in Vienna, Austria. He’s a hottie alright, but he’s taken, ladies!

Speaking of Resident Evil: Retribution, Nurse 3D is a horror film directed by Doug Aarniokoski and written by David Loughery. Kodjoe is in the cast and working on the set re-teamed him with Aarniokoski, who also served as second unit director on Retribution

It is about time the work of Zane has been adapted for theaters. This should be the first of many, especially if Addicted rakes in some dough at the box office. Her body of work offers plenty to work from. Fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Michael Fassbender’s turn as a sex-a-holic in Shame, not to mention fans of Californication on Showtime, will probably really dig this project.

Universal to Adapt Stephen King Short

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When you have two horror flicks topping the box office in the same weekend, you really should get to choose a new project near and dear to your heart. That looks to be the case for Jason Blum, who is all set to finance an adaptation on Stephen King’s Gramma.

Gramma is the title of a King short story released in a 1985 collection called, Skeleton Crew. In the chilling tale, two young boys go with their single mother to visit their elderly, senile grandmother, whose name is Mercy. As events unravel; however; they learn that Gramma Mercy is a witch. It doesn’t sound like she’s a white witch either.

The film will be called Mercy. Jason Blum will produce via his Blumhouse Productions. That’s the same studio behind current hits, Paranormal Activity 4 and Sinister. Peter Cornwell of The Haunting in Connecticut will direct Mercy using a script from Matt Greenberg, whose previous work includes 1408. Aussie actress Frances O’Connor from Mansfield Park and The Hunter, which paired her with Willem Dafoe, will star in the new horror film. I think its safe to say she’ll be acting the part of the single mother.

Universal is the studio behind the project.

Stephen King’s story was once unveiled on the small screen once. It was adapted as an episode of “The New Twilight Zone” in 1986. At that time, the infamous Harlan Ellison provided the script and an actress familiar with King’s work, Piper Laurie, who played Sissy Spacek’s mother in the original adaptation of Carrie, did voice over for the character of Gramma Mercy. Of course Carrie is in the news again because there’s a re-make in the works. The new film stars Chloë Grace Moretz as the title character and Julianne Moore as her mother. It will debut March 15, 2013.

Speaking of King short stories being adapted, we reported it right here when we learned his short, titled, A Good Marriage, was going to be adapted. That one came out in the 2010 collection, Full Dark, No Stars and will star Joan Allen.

Mercy director Peter Cornwell was behind Haunting in Connecticut, which drew in $77 million worldwide and incited a whole string of Gold Circle Films, including The Haunting in Georgia. A sequel, The Haunting in New York, is being planned, too.

Matt Greenberg, our writer, wrote Halloween H20 and adapted a King piece before when he provides a screenplay for 1408. How exciting is this: Paramount has hired him to work on a Pet Semetary remake!

Before we see O’Connor acting in Mercy, we’ll see her in Billy Bob Thornton’s film, Jayne Mansfield’s Car, and in the Francesca Gregorini directed independent drama, Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes.

Trailer Unveil for Sparks Adaptation ‘Safe Haven’

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Nicholas Sparks fans can mark their calendars for the February 8, 2013, debut of Safe Haven.

Coastal Town? CHECK!
Man who is too good to be true? CHECK!
Steamy love scene? CHECK!
Secret kept by main character? CHECK!
Romantic boat ride? CHECK!
Impending natural disaster? CHECK!

Yep, this is definitely a Sparks story. His other film adaptations of course include The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, Dear John and The Lucky One. Hey, as formulaic as it was, I actually enjoyed The Lucky One! Part of that is probably due to the fact that I’m too old to really have watched Zac Efron in his child acting days. I don’t have kids either, so High School Musical isn’t something I’ve ever watched.

For Safe Haven, beautiful people, Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough are at the center of some romantic drama. SHE is Katie Feldman, a woman running away from a past full of what appears to be domestic violence and has forgotten how to trust. HE is Alex Wheatley, a single father who has lost his wife. Cobie Smulders of HIMYM and The Avengers is Jo, the side kick/ confident, who shows Hough’s character the ropes when she arrives in a small North Carolina town to escape her past. The film is being called a “deeply moving romantic thriller.”

Check out the trailer now! It has great music, too, I promise!

Directing Safe Haven is Lasse Hallström, Oscar nominated for his work on the phenomenal picture, The Cider House Rules.

Here’s the book synopsis from Amazon. You’ve got some time to read it before the film premiers!

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

You can watch the new trailer below:

The Starving Games

Maiara Walsh to Play Kantmiss Evershot in ‘The Starving Games’

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The Starving Games

Katniss Everdeen is the very popular main character in the Suzanne Collins best seller, The Hunger Games. Jennifer Lawrence brings her to life in the film version and now Maiara Walsh will spoof The Games in a new parody called The Starving Games.

Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer may as well be the kings of spoofdom. Their devious comedic minds came up with Date Movie, Meet the Spartans and Vampires Suck. Now they have re-teamed for The Starving Games script. They’ll share directing responsibilities, too. Like many of their films, The Hunger Games isn’t the only film providing material for them to poke fun at. The Avengers, Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter also get cracked about in the upcoming comedy. Sounds like a good time to me. Maybe Iron Man will appear in the woods.

The fresh-faced Ms. Maiara Walsh currently acts as the troublesome Simone Sinclair on ABC Family’s Switched at Birth series. She knows her way around a young adult themed set. She has appeared on The Secret Life of the American Teenager and CW network series, The Vampire Diaries. Her character’s name in this one: Kantmiss Evershot, has already won a chuckle from this Hunger Games fan.

Speaking of young adult actors, from the set of Pretty Little Liars, come Brant Daugherty, who has been chosen to co-star with Walsh, playing the parody version of Gale. Gale is the best friend and hunting partner of Katniss in the original film and acted there by Liam Hemsworth.

The Starving Games is financed by Peter Safran, whoo also produced Scary Movie, Vampires Suck and Buried. Hey, that last one wasn’t funny! Filming will begin this week in New Orleans.

As much as I adore The Hunger Games, I’m sure it won’t be difficult to make fun of the plot and setting. As for the real thing, the sequel, Catching Fire is coming to the big screen in November of 2013. If you thought Katniss’ first Hunger Games was harrowing, wait until you witness The Quarter Quell. Brand new cast members include: Toby Jones as Claudius Templesmith, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee, Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair (Yes, you can swoon now, ladies!), Jeffrey Wright as Beetee, Amanda Plummer as Wiress, temptress Jena Malone as Johanna Mason, and Meta Golding as the dangerous Enobaria.

I’m still not convinced Cladlin was the best choice for Finnick, but I’ll give him a chance. I like Jena Malone as Johanna Mason, but it wouldn’t have hurt to give the part to Kristen Bell.

Divergent Set To Cast Shailene Woodley

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You may remember the novel, Divergent, written by Veronica Roth as a participant in our Annual BSC Book Tournament, however, now it seems it is getting its own big screen adaptation.

The film adaptation is set to be directed by Neil Burger, who’s previous work includes Limitless. It also appears that they are trying to secure The Descendants actress Shailene Woodley to play the lead role. This comes off of the back of news that Shailene is in talks to play Mary Jane Watson inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Here is the synopsis:

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the YA scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

A projected release date for the film was given as March 21, 2014 in the U.S.

James Cameron Plans ‘The Informationist’

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Call on just about anyone to list ten directors who don’t suck and surely James Cameron will wind up on that list. Right now the visionary director is hard at work on sequels to Avatar, the somewhat groundbreaking adventure he directed, wrote produced and edited, but we know the name of the project most likely to get his attention next. It’s a book adaptation called The Informationist.

Sure, some folks didn’t see much difference between the Avatar storyline and that of Disney’s Pocahontas, but if you weren’t dying your skin blue after seeing the 2009 release, don’t forget that incredible innovations in filming technology were utilized during production. Cameron’s work is all about boldly going where no man has gone before. The Terminator series is still considered a landmark in science fiction. For the sequel, T2: Judgement Day, a liquid metal humanoid killing machine brought terrific advances in special effects artistry. Just prior, his highly under appreciated work, The Abyss, took a hearty group of survivors to the bottom of the ocean to interact with an alien much kinder than the one he directed in Aliens. As for Titanic? Well, who else would have been bold enough to recreate such an epic disaster in such studied detail?

What uncharted terrain is left to be traversed? How about the wilds of Africa? Or maybe the layers of a woman’s psyche?

Lightstorm Entertainment purchased the motion picture rights to the 2011 novel The Informationist by Taylor Stevens, with James Cameron eager to direct the film for Twentieth Century Fox. We just have to wait for the finishing touches on the second and third Avatar films, in pre-production now, for work on The Informationist to begin.

The Informationist is the story of Vanessa “Michael” Munroe, an information specialist. Her area of expertise strikes me as awfully similar to that of Lisbeth Salander of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or Olivia Pope of Scandal, the addictive political thriller from Shonda Rhimes.

Because of her skills, Vanessa is highly sought after by heads of state and wealthy private clients. A rich oil baron puts her on payroll to search for his daughter who went to the continent of Africa four years prior, and then seemingly vanished. Vanessa, who actually lived in Africa as a child winds up quickly double-crossed, stuck in the middle of no where, and left for dead. As she tries to survive, she also must face a past she’s been trying to forget her entire adult life.

On the production team are James Cameron and Jon Landau. They’ll have to shop around for a writer to adapt the novel soon, but we probably won’t be hearing about actors for a while.

In his statement, Cameron said, “Taylor Stevens’ Vanessa Michael Munroe is an intriguing and compelling heroine with an agile mind and a thirst for adventure. Equally fascinating for me is her emotional life and her unexpected love story. I’m looking forward to bringing Vanessa and her world to the big screen.”

John Landau added, “This was an opportunity to continue our relationship with Fox and Jim Gianopulos beyond the Avatar films. We were drawn to this book because of the terrific, compelling narrative and the character, who typifies the strong female protagonists that have inhabited Jim’s work in this case Vanessa Munroe is essentially a mix of Lisbeth Salander and Jason Bourne.”

See that? Landau and I agree about Dragon Tattoo similarities.

A follow up, second “Vanessa Michael Munroe” novel, titled The Innocent, premiered just this year.

An autobiography from the book’s author Taylor Stevens, would be just as compelling to read. The woman was raised as a child inside an apocalyptic religious cult. She lived in strict all over the world, was cut off from her family at age twelve, not educated more than on a sixth grade level, and spent much of that time begging on the streets or washing clothes for hundreds of her fellow cult members. In her twenties, Stevens was able to escape the cult and is now a full-time writer and mother.

Warner Bros. Resurrects Noir Detective Mike Hammer

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When it comes to hard-boiled detective types, you’ve probably heard the names Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, but do you know Mike Hammer? Audiences will get the chance to fall in love all over again as Warner Bros. options the crime novel I, The Jury.

Mickey Spillane created Mike Hammer and wrote over a dozen novels starring the pulp detective figure. Spillane’s first was called I, The Jury. Now the tough guy P.I. is returning to the big screen. I, the Jury has been adapted before. Biff Elliot starred as Mike Hammer in a 1953 production and Armand Assante had his turn in 1982.

The new deal to bring Film Noir back to theaters is a co-production between Film 360 and Thunder Road. Guymon Casady and Ben Forkner for Film 360, along with Basil Iwanyk for Thunder Road, will produce. Also on the production team is Ken Levin, the representative for author Spillane’s estate. Warner Bros. is hoping to launch a whole new action franchise with their I, The Jury re-make. I think it’s a great time for it. I haven’t really seen a Film Noir since Leonardo DiCaprio’s psychological, period thriller, Shutter Island. That was also a book adaptation.

I’d be remiss if I failed to mention a few other titles claiming the neo-noir sub-genre. The Cannes Film Festival, 2012, saw Brad Pitt in the very gritty piece, Killing Them Softly, which I’ve yet to sample. Also this year, Woody Harrelson starred in Rampart as a dirty cop. The Town, Drive, Shame and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo all share noir elements, but there’s something to be said for revisiting yesteryear in the way that Shutter Island did, with colorful costumes, excellent cinematography and even accents that transported audiences to another time. This all means Warner Bros. will have to decide in which decade to set their version of Mike Hammer.

Though I’m in favor of letting him live in the past, it’s probably more commercial to let him live in the present. This works for the popular FX series, Justified, which brings elements of the Western to modern-day Kentucky. I’m just saying, it can be done. This would probably be the route I’d take.

According to Deadline.com, author Ian Fleming once admitted that Mike Hammer was an influence when he created James Bond. That hard-boiled element is also highly noticeable in characters like Clint Eastwood‘s Dirty Harry and Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. I’m not very familiar with Reacher myself, but Tom Cruise will be playing him in the upcoming Paramount film. Spillane’s Hammer novels actually held seven places out of only 10 on the list of the best-selling books of all time. Now that’s impressive. His mysteries have sold 225 million copies worldwide.

If he is such hot material, you may be asking why no one has introduced a Hammer film in ages. As is usually the case, a rights dispute is to blame. Now that Spillane’s work is back in the hands of the author’s estate, a clear title could be delivered to make the movie deal happen. Spillane’s co-author, Max Allan Collins, with whom he wrote at least six more Hammer novels, will act as executive producer, along with Spillane’s widow, Jane Spillane.

Stephen Colbert to Cameo in ‘The Hobbit’

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They are two items in popular culture that I never thought would be mentioned in the same sentence. In one corner, you have American satirist, Stephen Colbert. In the other corner, you have Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated film, The Hobbit. These two ingredients will mesh on the big screen in the not so distant future.

Many out there would kill for a cameo on AMC’s ridiculously popular series, The Walking Dead. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian put himself in the very capable hands of the make-up artists on that set, in order to become a bloody member of the walkers. But have you ever thought of how cool it would be to cameo as a Tolkien inspired monster?

That notion has apparently crossed the mind of Comedy Central‘s own Stephen Colbert. He won’t make it into the final cut of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which hits on December 14th, but there are two more sequels in this prequel package, and he’ll cameo in one of those films. Colbert fans will already know that the actor is a bit of a Tolkein’s fanatic. He even mentioned this exciting cameo in an interview with Playboy earlier this month.

Did I jump the gun? I assumed Colbert would get into the spirit of Halloween and have a seat in the make-up chair himself, but there’s no telling what shape his cameo will take. Maybe he’ll be an elf or dwarf instead.

What we do know is what Bolg will look like. Pardon me. No, I didn’t just burp. Bolg is the name of the terrible leader of the faction of Misty Mountain Goblins. Dun dun dun. He’s role is acted by Conan Stevens, who is somewhere beneath all that make-up and armor. It looks heavy, doesn’t it?

Of course, the prequel is all about the titular hobbit, Mr. Bilbo Baggins. His friend Gandalf the Grey, who just happens to be a great wizard, urges him into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which is now firmly in the grip of the very frightening dragon, Smaug, to be voiced by the one and only Benedict Cumberbatch.

So, Bilbo joins a band of thirteen dwarves, led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield, on the journey. Along the way, they’ll encounter mor than just Orcs, obviously. I mentioned Misty Mountain Goblins already. There are also treacherous Wargs, Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers to contend with. Oh my.

And one creature needs no introduction. He’s Gollum. And he’s baaack on the big screen. Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Evangeline Lilly, Andy Serkis and many, many more star in our return to Middle Earth.

Boy, what can’t Stephen Colbert accomplish? His book I Am America (And So Can You!) is a New York Times Best Seller. He’s a family man and a political mind. He’s a comedian, and a voice actor, having lent his pipes to Monsters vs. Aliens, The Simpsons, and a guest role on American Dad! His special A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! earned Colbert a Grammy.