Category Archives: Optioned Books

Ender’s Game Filmmakers Talk Visual Style And Ender/Graff

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Director Gavin Hood as definitely taken on a challenge when he agreed to adapt Orson Scott Cards classic sic-fi novel, Ender’s Game. The book was published back in 1985, and since then has had a handful of people attempt to make it into a film. However, Hood is the first to make it happen.

The book and film follows young child, Ender Wiggin as he is taken to Battle School to train to become a military leader in the fight against an alien threat known as buggers.

What makes this story hard to adapt is it setting. Most of the book takes place in space agasint the backdrop of war. Between the anti-gravity battle room, and the interstellar travels and incredibly technology, creating the world has proved tricky.

During a recent Q&A with fans, producer Roberto Orci revealed a bit about the upcoming adaptation.

The very few photos from the set that have been released haven’t showed much of anything yet. Regarding the visual effects we haven’t seen yet, Orci said,

One thing I can tell you is that Gavin Hood is a gigantic Stanley Kubrick fan, and it shows. And yet, in some of the Zero G battles, things are going on that Kubrick never had a chance to tackle.  The technology and advancements in film making available to us allowed us to realize a vision that is totally unique and modern while also being, as Harrison Ford calls it, one of the most emotional science fiction movies he has ever seen.”

Orci also went on to describe the importance of the relationship between Ender and Colonel Graff.

The relationship between Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and Ender (Asa Butterfield) is key to the movie’s success.  Graff would love nothing more than to be Ender’s friend, yet Graff can’t always show it because he has to make it clear to Ender that in the event of another alien invasion, there will be no one available to help him.  Their relationship is simultaneously heartbreaking and fun.”

He also answered questions regarding the general tone of the film which feats children going to war.

Like the book, the movie Ender’s Game is about young protagonists dealing with one of the most adult situations known to man: WAR.  We don’t soft peddle it, yet we don’t shy away from the fun of being in space and learning amazing new skills that we would all want to learn at any age.

The project is currently filming, and is scheduled to be released November 1, 2013.

The cast, which includes several award winners, is as follows:

  • Asa Butterfield – Ender Wiggin
  • Harrison Ford – Colonel Hyrum Graff
  • Abigail Breslin – Valentine Wiggin
  • Hailee Steinfeld – Petra
  • Aramis Knight – Bean
  • Moises Arias – Bonzo
  • Jimmy Pinchak – Peter Wiggin
  • Suraj Parthasarathy – Alai
  • Conor Carroll – Bernard
  • Khylin Rhambo – Dink
  • Brandon Soo Hoo – Fly Molo
  • Ben Kingsley – Mazer Rackham
  • Viola Davis – Major Anderson
  • Caleb J. Thaggard – Stilson
  • Stevie Ray Dallimore – John Wiggin
  • Andrea Powell – Theresa Wiggin
  • Nonso Anozie – Sergeant Dap

Hulk To Get New Television Series

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Movies based on Marvel Comics characters have been big moneymakers in recent years, most recently The Avengers. It’s only natural that they’d make their way to the small screen at some point, and it may come in the form of a new Hulk series from ABC.

ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee said in a conference call Tuesday that he hopes “The Hulk” will be ready for the 2013-2014 season, according to NYDailyNews.com.

We had hoped it would be ready this year, but that didn’t happen,” Lee said.

Lee told listeners the show may be aired on ABC, but they might instead sell it to another network.

Wherever it would work best,” he said.

Unexpectedly, horror director Guillermo del Toro may be executive producing the show, according to TGDaily.com. ABC continues to work with Marvel writer Stan Lee, and Lee said he hope to bring more Marvel characters to television. Both ABC and Marvel are owned by Disney.

This will not be the first time Bruce Banner’s destructive alter-ego has starred in his own television show. Running from 1978-1982, CBS’ The Incredible Hulk starred Bill Bixby as Banner and Lou Ferrigno as Hulk. There has also been several cartoon versions of his storyline that have been successful.

Mountain Dew® Partners with The Dark Knight Rises

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Mountain Dew® (DEW) announced a new partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ The Dark Knight Rises. DEW plans to unveil exclusive content and storylines from the upcoming film to fans before opening day, July 20.

DEW will also undergo design changes, introducing Dark Knight themed graphics on packaging and temperature-sensitive cans that change when chilled. The company plans to market a limited-edition mixed berry flavor as a part of the promotion as well.

Brett O’Brien, vice president of marketing for DEW, said the partnership is based on fueling passion.

You’d be hard-pressed to find more passionate fans than those of DEW and The Dark Knight franchise. Our goal is to offer those fans unique experiences — from package and product innovation to exclusive content and access that only DEW and Batman together could provide.”

According to DEW’s release, the campaign will include the following:

  • A new limited-time-only flavor, Mtn Dew Dark Berry, inspired by The Dark Knight Rises, available nationwide for 8 weeks beginning in mid June.
  • Select 16-oz cans of DEW will receive a facelift of the thermochromic variety. The special cans will use thermochromic ink to feature a bat symbol that transforms to the distinctive green color of DEW when chilled. The limited-time 16 oz. cans will hit shelves in mid June.
  • The unveil of DEWGothamCity.com, an online destination designed to give fans unprecedented access into the world of The Dark Knight Rises, including exclusive sneak peeks of movie content and storylines. The experience will launch June 18.
  • Fans who participate in the DEW Gotham City experience and enter product codes from 20 oz. and 2-liter bottles, 12-pack and 24-pack and Fountain Cups will earn points to redeem for DEW or The Dark Knight Rises gear or for sweepstakes entries for a chance to win exclusive prizes.
  • Diet Mountain Dew driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., will give (and get) a first taste of the Dark Knight. Members of the DEW Crew, an extension of the #88 team fueled by Diet Mountain Dew, will be asked to vote to select which of four Dark Knight paint schemes will appear on Dale’s #88 Chevrolet this season. Voting begins at www.dewcrew.com on May 12.
  • In-store point-of-purchase displays in retailers nationwide.
  • Robust cable, primetime TV, radio and digital advertising, launching June 18, will drive mass campaign awareness.

DEW has previously partnered up with upcoming releases such as Halo 3 when it released a specialized bottle and “game fuel” flavor.

The Dark Knight Rises was directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan and the story with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics this is the third installment in Nolan’s Batman film series, and is a sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). The Dark Knight Rises is intended to be the conclusion of the series. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman will all reprise their roles from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The film will take place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight and will introduce the characters of Selina Kyle and Bane—portrayed by Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy, respectively—two villains from the Batman mythology.

Development Diary Released For The Video-Game of Thrones

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The developers of the new Game of Thrones: the Game, aka VideoGame of Thrones, have released a new development diary detailing their work on the RPG. Cyanide Studios had begun the development on the game is before the HBO series began.

The game is being spun as an original interpretation of the book series although the author of the series, George R.R. Martin did not write the script or the dialogue. Although Martin did collaborate with Cyanide to ensure that nothing in game would conflict with anything that the story has coming.

The plot of the game will run parallel to the first book. However, instead of simply recreating the entire storyline, they cheater two new playable characters: Mors Westford, a ranger of the Night’s Watch, and Alester Sarwyck, a red priest. Mors has the ability to control his pet dog using telepathy and Alester will have magical fire powers. Players will switch off between the characters through out the campaign that could last anywhere between 25 hours to 40 hours to complete. Players will also have to make tons of moral choices along the way.

You can watch the development diary below:

Note: the video is for mature audiences only as is the video game.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter Gets Life Once More

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Neil Marshall, director of 2005’s claustrophobic nightmare The Descent, has signed on to direct the upcoming film The Last Voyage of the Demeter.  Millennium films will release the project which cycled through numerous directors before landing in Marshall’s hands.

According to Screenrant, Filmmakers such as Robert Schwentke (RED), Marcus Nispel (Conan the Barbarian), Stefan Ruzowitzky (Anatomy) and David Slade (Twilight: Eclipse) have all either circled or been briefly attached to direct the project at different points in time.

Though not a direct book adaptation, the story’s origins lie within the text of Bram Stoker’s 1897 classic Dracula. The Demeter was the ship that brought Dracula from Transylvania to London in Stoker’s book.  The damaged ship washed ashore in England with one survivor.

The film will follow the segment of the novel featuring the titular last voyage of the Demeter and the terror that occurs on board.

Within the novel, Dracula, the Russian ship, the Demeter, having weighed anchor at Varna, runs aground on the shores of Whitby, England, during a fierce tempest. All of the crew are missing and presumed dead, and only one body is found, that of the captain tied to the ship’s helm. The captain’s log is recovered and tells of strange events that had taken place during the ship’s journey. These events led to the gradual disappearance of the entire crew apparently owing to a malevolent presence on board the ill-fated ship. An animal described as a large dog is seen on the ship leaping ashore. The ship’s cargo is described as silver sand and boxes of “mould”, or earth, from Transylvania.

The film’s script was written a decade ago by Bragi Schut (Season of the Witch).

Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer and Bradley Fischer will be producing. The three have worked together on films before, such as Zodiac, Black Swan and Shutter Island.

The film was almost made last year by David Slade with a cast that included Ben Kingsley and Noomie Rapace, but when that was shut down the actors also left the project. It isn’t immediately known whether either cast member will return with the new project moving forward.

Little more information has been released about the indirect adaptation.

Gabriella Peirce’s 666 Park Avenue Adaptation Moves Forward With ABC

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It was announced a few months ago that the novel “666 Park Avenue” had been optioned for television and there it sat for months. Now, it has been announced that ABC will adapt Gabriella Pierce’s 2011 novel for television due to air in the 2012-2013 television season.

Terry O’Quinn, Vanessa Williams, Dave Annable, Rachael Taylor, Mercedes Masohn, Robert Buckley, Helena Mattsson and Erik Palladino will star/appear in the show.

The show will follow Gavin Doran, played by O’Quinn and his wife Olivia, played by Vanessa Williams who own The Drake, home to dozens of residents who are unaware of the supernatural forces at work in the building. When a young Midwestern couple – Jane Van Even and Henry Martin – is hired to manage The Drake, they begin to unravel the mystery.

David Wilcox (Fringe), Leslie Morgenstein (Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries) and Gina Girolamo (The Secret Circle, The Lying Game) will executive produce.

Here is ABC’s pitch:

If you could make one wish, what would it be? And what would you do to get it? At 666 Park Avenue, all of your dreams and burning desires can come true: wealth, sex, love, power, even revenge. But just be careful what you wish for, because the price you pay… could be your soul. Welcome to The Drake, the premiere apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.”

Read the novel’s official plot synopsis below:

What if your mother-in-law turned out to be an evil, cold-blooded witch . . . literally? Ever since fabulously wealthy Malcolm Doran walked into her life and swept her off her feet, fledgling architect Jane Boyle has been living a fairy tale. When he proposes with a stunning diamond to seal the deal, Jane can’t believe her incredible luck and decides to leave her Paris-based job to make a new start with Malcolm in New York. But when Malcolm introduces Jane to the esteemed Doran clan, one of Manhattan’s most feared and revered families, Jane’s fairy tale takes a darker turn. Soon everything she thought she knew about the world—and herself—is upended. Now Jane must struggle with newfound magical abilities and the threat of those who will stop at nothing to get them.”

The Hunger Games… Minecraft Edition

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Even if you haven’t seen the movie or read the massively popular trilogy, The Hunger Games, you at least know its central premise. Children, thrown into an arena, fight to the death for one victor. While that is definitely not something most would like to be apart of in real life, the idea of the strategic survival in a game with a multiplayer capacity seems …. well fun.

So when Minecraft, a giant vital sandbox of a game, merged with one of the most violent and popular stories, we get possibly one of the coolest custom experiences ever. Since there isn’t (yet) an officially licensed Hunger Games title out there, this one of best ways to get a piece of action and chaos that is the Games.

The servers that host the Games within Minecraft are called “Survival Games” with the players called “Tributes.” Even the opening of each session mimics the opening scene of the Arena from the books and movie. Tributes stand in a large circle around a cache of supplies and when a time hits zero, you better run.

Very similar to the original story, most run for the supplies in the center, being killed quickly, fighting over the best supplies and weapons. Then tributes can run into the woods to begin the strategic battle of survival as they begin hunting each other down throughout the map. The session ends when only one player/tribute is alive.

Even alliances form during the sessions to help hunt down those left by themselves or unprepared. Just beware, because betrayal is always an option as it gets to the last few players.

If you want to take part, a dedicated Minecraft Survival Games website has been established that includes links to servers hosting the games as well as leader boards to track the progress of the best tributes playing the games.

You can watch a player taking place in one of the Survival Games matches below:

Julianne Moore Confirms Role In Carrie Adaptation

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The rumor mill has been swirling for months about who will play Carrie’s mother in the upcoming Carrie remake. It was reportedly between Jodie Foster and Julianne Moore. It was reported last week that Moore was offered the role and Deadline confirmed that she has accepted.

Carrie’s mother is abusive towards her, using her fundamental christian values to keep her from experiencing the world, and being a teenager.

Moore will be starring along side Chloe Moretz, who is playing the titular character.

Deadline has also reported that Gabriella Wilde, who recently starred in The Three Musketeers, is in talks to take the role of Sue Snell.

Carrie is based on the novel written by famed horror author Stephen King, originally published in 1974. The plot revolves around the titular Carrie, a high school girl who is bullied by the other students in her school. She uses her newly discovered telekinetic powers to exact revenge on all those who tease her.

It is one of the most frequently banned books in United States schools. Much of the book is written in an epistolary structure, through newspaper clippings, magazine articles, letters, and excerpts from books.

There have already been several adaptation of the novel, the 1976 film being the most well known and praised.

The film has been said to be less of a remake of the 1976 Brian De Palma film and more of a re-adaptation of the original text.

Shooting for the upcoming adaptation begins next month under the direction of Kimberly Peirce. It is said that it will be released March 2013.

Lego Lord of the Rings Is On Its Way

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Warner Bros. has confirmed that it will release a widely expected Lord of the Rings Lego videogame.

Packaging for Lego’s new line of LOTR toys, inspired by the three Peter Jackson movies based on the books, reveals the title is on the way. The news was announced last week and confirmed on the Lego Official Website.

In preparation for the game release, Lego will be releasing a new toy set based on the characters. The toy set based on the characters and upcoming game will be hitting stores Summer 2012.

Toy News predicted that Warner Bros. will officially unveil the new Lego game within the next few weeks, leading up to the E3 video games exhibition, and possibly at the show itself.

The game’s creation conveniently coincides with the upcoming release of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, coming to theaters Dec. 14.

The Lego video game series has done extremely well with hit titles such as the Lego Star Wars series, and Lego Batman. There have been four Lego Star Wars video games: Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005) Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (2006) Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (2007) Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (2011). As of February 13, 2009, Lego Star Wars: The Video Game has sold over 6.7 million copies worldwide, Lego Star Wars II has sold over 8.2 million, The Complete Saga has sold over 3.4 million, and the three combined have sold over 20 million.

With the game sets, and the film coming out this year, the Lego LOTR video game will most likely do very well commercially. It also seems the Lego video games have a stable fan base that are anticipating this new release.

Big Screen Adaptation of 39 Clues Series In The Works

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Shawn Levy (Date Night, Night at the Museum) is working on a deal to direct the big-screen adaptation of The 39 Clues, the 11-volume novel series Scholastic Media began publishing in 2008.

Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me If You Can) wrote the script and Spielberg and Scholastic’s Deborah Forte are producing. Originaly Brett Ratner was attached to direct the film adaptation, but he later dropped out and was replaced by Levy.

According to Deadline, DreamWorks purchased the film rights to the book before it was published, intending for Steven Spielberg to direct.

More than a typical novel, The 39 Clues includes cards and an online game that gives clues to a mystery. Readers who solve the mystery can win a cash prize.

The story is about the Cahills, whose relatives include the likes of Houdini and Napoleon. The movie is framed as an epic family adventure about two ordinary kids who discover that they are part of the world’s most powerful family sets them off on a globe-trotting treasure hunt.

The book’s official plot synopsis follows:

Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: “You have a choice – one million dollars or a clue.”

Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world’s most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 clues hidden around the world will reveal the family’s secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what’s important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.

The 39 Clues is Scholastic’s groundbreaking new series, spanning10 adrenaline-charged books, 350 trading cards, and an online game where readers play a part in the story and compete for over $100,000 in prizes.”

The 39 Clues books set the story, and the cards, website and game allow kids to participate in it. Kids visit the website – the39clues.com – and discover they are also lost members of the Cahill family. They then set up online accounts where they can compete against other kids and against Cahill characters to find all 39 clues.

Through the website, kids can track their points and clues, manage their card collections, dig through the Cahill archives for secrets, and “travel” the world to collect Cahill artifacts, interview characters, and hunt down clues. Collecting cards helps: Each card is a piece of evidence containing information on a Cahill, a clue, or a family secret.

No other details have been released as of yet.