Category Archives: Optioned Books

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Heads to City of Bones

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The City of Bones adaptation, based on the novel by Cassandra Clare, has finally found it’s Valentine. And no not the red and pink kind. The main villain of the YA novel series, Valentine Morgenstern, will be played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Valentine is said to be one of the most powerful shadowhunters in the world and has a special connection with main character Clary. He also strives to make the world “pure” at any cost.

Meyers joins Lily Collins as Clary Fray, Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace Wayland, Robert Sheehan as Simon Lewis, Jemima West as Isabelle Lightwood, Kevin Durand as Emil Pangborn, Robert Maillet as Samuel Blackwell, Lena Headey as Jocelyn Fray, Jared Harris as Hodge Starkweather, and Godfrey Gao as Magnus Bane.

City of Bones follows a young teen girl, Clary Fray, who discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother, Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is expected to be released on August 23, 2013.

Christian Bale Offered Role In The Creed of Violence

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Actor Christian Bale is in early negotiations to star in Todd Field’s The Creed of Violence. Field, most known for his work on Little Children is adapting the film from Boston Teran’s acclaimed fifth novel of the same name.

The book tells the story of the 1910 Mexican revolution from the perspective of small-time assassin Rawbone and young Bureau of Investigation agent John Lourdes. The unlikely pair are forced to cooperate to infiltrate the Mexican criminal underground, encountering thieves, smugglers and professional killers.

Bale is being considered for the role of Rawbone. There is no word yet on whether the deal will be closed.

Universal will distribute the film, which is being produced and financed by Cross Creek Pictures. Field will be writing and directing.  Brian Oliver, head of Cross Creek, previously compared the upcoming project to Heart of Darkness.

“Teran’s novel brings a unique perspective to U.S. imperialism for oil in the early 20th century,” Oliver said.

The film’s producers are projecting an early 2013 release date in the American Southwest and parts of Mexico.

View the official summary for The Creed of Violence below:

“Mexico, 1910. The landscape pulses with the force of the upcoming revolution, an atmosphere rich in opportunity for a criminal such as Rawbone. His fortune arrives across the haze of the Sierra Blanca in the form of a truck loaded with weapons, an easy sell to those financing a bloodletting.

But Rawbone’s plan spins against him, and he soon finds himself at the Mexican-American border and in the hands of the Bureau of Investigation. He is offered a chance for immunity, but only if he agrees to proceed with his scheme to deliver the truck and its goods to the Mexican oil fields while under the command of Agent John Lourdes. Rawbone sees no other option and agrees to the deal—but he fails to recognize the true identity of Agent Lourdes, a man from deep within his past.

As they work to expose the criminal network at the core of the revolution, it is clear their journey into the tarred desert is a push toward a certain ruin, and the history lurking between the criminal and agent may seal their fates.”

There is no word on when the film is expected to be released or other talent that may be attached to the project.

Kristen Stewart To Lie Down In Darkness

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Like she recently did with Rupert Sanders, BA-ZING!

Ok, I’m going to put my K-stew serious face on. It was recently announced that Stewart is set to play the lead role in the upcoming adaptation, Lie Down In Darkness. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by William Styron that was first published in 1952.

“Lie Down In Darkness” was Styron’s first novel and has received wide critical acclaim.

The official description of the novel is as follows:

“Lie Down in Darkness” centers on the Loftis family — Milton and Helen and their daughters, Peyton and Maudie. The story, told through a series of flashbacks on the day of Peyton’s funeral, is a powerful depiction of a family doomed by its failure to forget and its inability to love.

Scott Cooper is attached to direct the project. Stewart will play Peyton, however, there is no official start date yet.

There is also no word on any other talent attached to the project or an anticipated release date.

Warner Bros. Acquires Beautiful Disaster

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Warner Bros. has won a bidding war for “Beautiful Disaster,” Jamie McGuire’s Fifty Shades of Grey-like series aimed at the young adult demographic. Donald De Line, producer of Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain, is attached to the project.

The book began as a self-published online novel, became a hit and was picked up by a publishing house, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

It tells the story of squeaky-clean college student Abby Abernathy, who doesn’t drink or swear. She meets Travis Maddox, who is “lean, cut and covered in tattoos,” according to the book’s description. Maddox makes a bet with Abernathy, and if she wins, he must abstain from sex for one month. If she loses, she must live with him for one month.

Beautiful Disaster, according to THR, is being seen by studio executives as a safer and less risky adaptation than E.L. James’ increasingly popular Fifty Shades of Grey, which is full of sexual content that could cause issues at the box office.

McGuire’s book has sold more than 200,000 copies, first as an ebook, and later as a trade paperback through Amazon’s Createspace. It topped Amazon’s self-published sales chart, and appeared on The New York Times bestseller list.

Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, signed McGuire and will release an official paperback version on Aug. 14.

Read Beautiful Disaster’s official description below:

“The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand. Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.”

What do you think of the new risquee trend in literature? Tell us in the comments!

Two New Cast Members Added To City of Bones

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The upcoming film adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s “City of Bones” has almost rounded out is main cast. The author announced the addition of two new cast members yesterday including Aidan Turner as Luke and CCH Pounder as Madame Dorothea.

Turner is most known for playing (incredibly sexy) vampire Mitchell on the British “Being Human.” He also is gaining attention for his upcoming role in The Hobbit trilogy in which he will play the character of Kili. Turner is set to play Luke in “City of Bones,” a character that is a father figure to Clary as well as a protector to her family.

“Luke has a hell of a dark past despite his current mild-mannered, bookstore-owning ways. The scars he bears belie his gentle heart — but he could tear you apart with his teeth if you threatened something he cared about,” says Clare about Luke.

CCH Pounder has been in several television shows over the years and has a wealth of experience in the industry. She is set to play the role of Madame Dorothea, Clary’s next door neighbor who is definitely more than she appears at first.

“You may know her from The Shield. Or The X-Files. Or Warehouse 13. Or ER. Or The West Wing. Or pretty much every cool show in the known universe. Our director’s wanted to work with her for ages and I think she will be amazing,” says Clare.

Turner and Pounder join the already star studded cast that includes:

  • Lily Collins is Clary Fray
  • Jamie Campbell Bower is Jace Wayland
  • Robert Sheehan is Simon Lewis
  • Jemima West is Isabelle Lightwood
  • Kevin Durand is Pangborn
  • Robert Maillet is Blackwell
  • Lena Headey is Jocelyn Fray
  • Godfrey Gao is Magnus Bane
  • Jared Harris is Hodge
  • Aidan Turner is Luke
  • CCH Pounder is Madame Dorothea

The film is being directed by Harald Zwart.

11 New Promo Images For The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt. 2

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For those of you stoked about the upcoming finale movie installment in The Twilight Saga, you’ll be happy to see these 11 new promo images recently revealed online. And yes they all look positively brooding and/or ridiculous because it wouldn’t be Twilight unless all the vampires and werewolves were angsty (although the one of Stewart above appears she is sort of smiling, so thats something)

Despite being amidst a cheating scandal between stars/ former lovers Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, the film is expected to still do extremely well in the box office. The Bill Condon-directed adaptation opens in theaters on November 16.

Check out the new promo images below:

 

Based on Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series, the film’s large cast includes:

Main cast
  • Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan/Cullen
  • Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen
  • Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black
  • Peter Facinelli as Carlisle Cullen
  • Elizabeth Reaser as Esme Cullen
  • Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen
  • Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen
  • Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale
  • Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale
  • Billy Burke as Charlie Swan
  • Sarah Clarke as Renée Dwyer
  • Julia Jones as Leah Clearwater
  • Booboo Stewart as Seth Clearwater
  • MyAnna Buring as Tanya
  • Maggie Grace as Irina
  • Casey LaBow as Kate
  • Michael Sheen as Aro
  • Jamie Campbell Bower
  • Christopher Heyerdahl as Marcus
  • Chaske Spencer as Sam Uley
  • Christian Camargo as Eleazar
  • Mía Maestro as Carmen
  • Mackenzie Foy as Renesmee Cullen
Part 2 adds new cast members:
  • Dakota Fanning as Jane
  • Cameron Bright as Alec
  • Charlie Bewley as Demetri
  • Daniel Cudmore as Felix
  • Noel Fisher as Vladimir
  • Guri Weinberg as Stefan
  • Lee Pace as Garrett
  • Joe Anderson as Alistair
  • Judi Shekoni as Zafrina
  • Tracey Huggins as Senna
  • J.D. Pardo as Nahuel
  • Rami Malek as Benjamin

Lionsgate Acquires Time and Again

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Lionsgate recently announced that is has acquired the film rights to Jack Finney’s illustrated novel “Time and Again.”  The project will be directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith).  Liman will also produce the project alongside his Hypnotic partner Dave Bartis.

Published in 1970, the romantic time-travel novel tells the story of Simon Morley, a Manhattan illustrator who enlists in a secret government experiment which transports him to 1882 New York. While there, he falls in love and must choose between living in the present or the past.

Sleep. And when you awake everything you know of the twentieth century will be gone from your mind. Tonight is January 21, 1882. There are no such things as automobiles, no planes, computers, television. ‘Nuclear’ appears in no dictionary. You have never heard the name Richard Nixon? Did illustrator Si Morley really step out of his twentieth-century apartment one night — right into the winter of 1882? The U.S. Government believed it, especially when Si returned with a portfolio of brand-new sketches and tintype photos of a world that no longer existed — or did it?

The book sold 27,000 copies in hardcover, and more than 200,000 copies over the years, according to Variety.

“From Time to Time,” the novel’s sequel, was published in 1996, one year after his death. The sequel left room for a third and final installment that will never be written due to the author’s death.

Erik Feig, Mike Paseornek, Gillian Bohrer and Jeyun Choi will oversee the project for Lionsgate, according to Variety.

This is not the first time the book has been eyed for adaptation. In the mid-1990s, Robert Redford began developing the project after Paul Newman introduced him to the book.  Tom Thayer, former president of Universal Television, attempted to adapt the work into a network miniseries.

While numerous filmmakers have considered the job, it has yet to be completed by anyone.

Throughout his career, Liman has proven himself to be a versatile director, with projects ranging from indie flicks (Swingers and Go) to action (The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith), and even science fiction  with 2008’s thriller Jumper.

Liman is currently working on Warner Bros.’ All You Need is Kill, which will star Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.

Warner Bros. Considering Creating A Prequel For The Shining

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In a controversial move, Warner Bros. is considering the possibility of releasing a prequel to The Shining, Stanley Kubrick’s highly regarded 1980 horror classic based on the novel written by horror specialist Stephen King.

There is no word yet on whether King will be involved, though he has stated he is penning a sequel.

The original novel, “The Shining”, was released in 1977. The title was inspired by the John Lennon song “Instant Karma!”, which contained the line “We all shine on…”. It was King’s third published novel, and first hardback bestseller, and the success of the book firmly established King as a preeminent author in the horror genre.

The cult classic film version was originally released in 1980. The book was also later adapted into a television mini-series in 1997.

King also stated that the novel was heavily influenced by Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death and The Fall of the House of Usher, and Robert Marasco’s Burnt Offerings. The story has been often compared to Guy de Maupassant’s story “The Inn”.

Hollywood writer-producer Laeta Kalogridis and her partners Bradley Fischer and James Vanderbilt are on-board to produce, according to a report by Los Angeles Times.

Kalogridis, according to Los Angeles Times, already has experience with the horror genre, as she wrote Shutter Island for Martin Scorsese two years ago. She also wrote and executive produced James Cameron’s Avatar.

The film would take place before Jack Torrance brought his family to the eerie Overlook Hotel, and would focus on the events that made the hotel “haunted,” (because with Kubrick, you never really know).

A representative for WB said the project is in very early stages, and is not even formally in development. Still, many fans are already voicing strong opinions on the matter, many against tampering with Kubrick’s work.

The news certainly raises some questions. Do you think it will it be possible for filmmakers to step out of Kubrick’s shadow? Or are you dreading the possible prequel altogether?

Kevin Zeggers Cast In City of Bones Adaptation

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Actor Kevin Zeggers has been cast as Alec Lightwood in the upcoming film adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones. 

City of Bones is the first novel in the series, The Mortal Instruments. 

Alec Lightwood is the brother to Isabelle Lightwood, who is set to be played by Jemima West. Alec also has feelings for Jace Wayland and later Magnus Bane.

Zeggers joins main characters Lily Collins as Clary Fray and Jamie Campbell-Bower as Jace Wayland. Also cast is Lena Headey, Jared Harris, Kevin Durand, and Robert Maillet.

City of Bones follows teen Clary Fray, who discovers she is a descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, an order of half-angel warriors who protect the world from demons. The rest of the characters include her best friend Simon, who is in love with her, while she has feelings for fellow shadowhunter Jace Wayland, who also may or may not be her brother, and siblings  Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, with Alec Harboring feelings for Jace as well.

Screen Gems is producing the adaptation with Harald Zwart directing.

The film is scheduled for release on August 23, 2013.

Could Battle Royale Become A Television Series?

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The 1999 novel and 2000 film, Battle Royale, is a cult classic and many fans are yearning for a remake. However, thanks to the recent release and extreme popularity of The Hunger Games, a film remake is looking less likely.

But, could a new television series be on the horizon?

The LA Times recently reported that the CW has been in recent discussion for adapting the novel into a one hour drama series on the network.

If they do decide they want to move forward with the project, they will need to gain the approval of Takami, which according to Japanese law must be secured before any remake can begin.

The CW argues that the television show could flourish much like the popular series, “The Vampire Diaries” found success despite the Twilight Saga dominating the film industry.

While the talks are only in the preliminary stages, the network (CW) would acquire the rights of Koushun Takami’s underlying novel, then unpack and expand on it for an hourlong dramatic series.

Producers Neal Moritz and Roy Lee had been working on a new film way before Suzanne Collins published her novel series, but the project stalled when New Line operations consolidated in 2008.

Then when The Hunger Games was released, the film remake was effectively killed.

Hopefully a television series can get off the ground. While it wont be ideal to fans who want a film reboot (we can also assume it will not be in anyway as gory and brutal as the film and novel) the TV series could be something to look forward to.