Category Archives: Optioned Books

David Yates Directing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

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The film adaptation of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will be helmed by a director who at least knows what he is doing! David Yates has signed on to head the project which is based on the novel set in world of “Harry Potter.” Yates has previously directed four of the beloved “Harry Potter” film adaptations.

The novel, written by J.K. Rowling, is set in the wizarding world and is inspired by the Hogwarts textbook that was featured in the Harry Potter series also written by Rowling. It follows the adventures of the fictitious author Newt Scamander as he tracks down the mysterious, amazing, and all together fantastic beasts that are hidden among the wizarding and muggle world.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a planned trilogy. It will feature creatures, characters, and aspects of society that will be familiar to “Harry Potter” fans. However, the tale begins seventy years before Harry Potter begins.

Currently, there is no word on any actors attached to star in the project or when we can expect the film to go into production. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will release in theaters on November 18, 2016.

Benedict Cumberbatch Voicing Shere Khan Because Of Course

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The Jungle Book: Origins has cast the lead villain role and it comes as no surprise that it has gone to Benedict Cumberbatch. The man whose voice is literally just a villain on its own. He will be lending his voice to the tiger Shere Khan in the Andy Serkis directed project.

The big screen adaptation of the iconic Rudyard Kipling novel tells the story of Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves. He’s kidnapped by monkeys and rescued by his animal friends, including Baloo the Bear, Bagheera the panther and Kaa the python. 

It should be noted that this project from Serkis should not be confused with the similar film from Disney being directed by Jon Favreau. This one releases on October 9. 2015. In the project from Disney, Shere Khan is voiced by Idris Elba.

The Jungle Book: Origins will release in theaters on October 21, 2016. The script was written by Callie Kloves with her father, Steve Kloves producing.

The Strain Renewed For Second Season at FX

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Guillermo del Toro’s hit new series at FX has officially been picked up for a second season. John Landgraf, CEO, FX Networks and FX Productions announced the news today. He also said that season 2 would appear on FX sometime in the summer on 2015. 

“The Strain” tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself.

Landgraf said,

“We’ve never had any doubts about The Strain. Working with Guillermo del Toro, Carlton Cuse, and the brilliant cast led by Corey Stoll has been everything we had hoped it would be and more. It is thrilling when you have a show that is a creative and commercial hit, which is a rare accomplishment in this increasingly crowded marketplace. We look forward having it on FX for as long as Carlton, Guillermo and Chuck Hogan need to tell this epic tale.”

“The Strain” has become one of the most watched original shows for the network, ranking as the #1 new series on cable (broadcast or premium) in 2014 in delivery of Adults 18-49. It also pulled in the top spot in recorded shows for the network with 12.7 million Total Viewers, which exceeded the network’s initial projection of 10 million. 

del Toro commented on the renewal stating,

“I am thrilled! Another season to spread the virus! Working with Carlton, Chuck [Hogan] and FX has been immensely rewarding and we have such sights to unveil in the upcoming episodes—the blood hits the fan on this one, mankind becomes an endangered species.”

The series is based on the book series co-written by del Toro and Chuck Hogan.

Jack Huston Joins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

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Jack Huston, most known as the endearing and adorable man Richard Harrow in “Boardwalk Empire” has officially joined the cast of the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The film is based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel reimagining of the iconic Jane Austen novel. 

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies follows the plot of the Austen classic in a timeless tale of a woman’s quest for love and independence amid the outbreak of a deadly virus that turns the undead into vicious killers.

Huston will play George Wickham in the film alongside Lily James as Elizabeth Bennett, Bella Heathcote as another Bennett sister and Sam Riley as Mr. Darcy as the rebel with a cause (whose casting I vehemently disagree with by the way.)

The adaptation is being directed by Burr Steers who is most known for his work on the film Igby Goes Down.  It was scripted by Steers and David O. Russell. It will be produced by Natalie Portman, Marc Butan, Sean McKittrick, Brian Oliver, Annette Savitch, Allison Shearmur and Tyler Thompson

Starz Renews Outlander for Season 2

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Last week Starz announced that they have officially renewed their series adaptation, “Outlander” for a second season. The series is based on the long-running book series from Diana Gabaldon.

Currently, according to Starz, we will get at least 13 episodes in the second season. It will be based on the second book in the 8 book series which is titled “Dragonfly in Amber.”

The premiere episode of the series did extremely well, surpassing 5 million viewers in the first week alone. Even more impressive is that it drew equal viewership in men and female which tends to rarely happen in romance-leaning shows.

Zack Van Amburg, President of Programming for Sony Pictures Television said,

“Fans of the Outlander books have waited a long time to see this incredible story brought to life on screen, and Ron[ald D. Moore] and his team have delivered a show that exceeds expectations. We look forward to our continued partnership with Starz to present the next chapter of this epic tale to longtime fans and viewers who are just discovering the series.” 

Starz Chief Executive Officer, Chris Albrecht said,

“The overwhelming support Outlander has received from the fans, viewers and critics made the decision for us to go ahead with the second book a very easy one. Diana Gabaldon has given us years of great drama. With an incredible artist such as Ronald D. Moore at the helm and a cast as spectacular as this, we look forward to continue this spell-binding journey with Claire, Jamie, Frank, Brianna, Roger and everybody over the centuries.”

The show was created by Ronald D. Moore who also worked on “Battlestar Galactica. He commented,

“I’m thrilled at the prospect of doing another season of this show for STARZ. This project has been a labor of love from the very beginning and it’s incredibly gratifying to see it succeed with viewers and critics alike.”

FROZEN Sing-Along Edition Arrives 11/18

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All the fans of Frozen in your life can now sing-along with all the catchy songs with their very own copy of Disney’s Sing-Along full length DVD edition of the popular animated film! The lyrics will be easy to follow with a bouncing “Frozen” snowflake with each song.

Join Anna as she sets off on an epic journey – teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and a snowman named Olaf – to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. It’s pure enchantment – and full of fun for the whole family!

Frozen features the all-star voice cast of Kristen Bell as Anna; Idina Menzel as Elsa; Jonathan Groff as mountain man Kristoff; Josh Gad as the lovable snowman Olaf; Santino Fontana as Hans; Alan Tudyk as the Duke of Weselton; Ciarán Hinds as Pabbie & Chris Williams as Oaken.

DVD features include:

  • Breaking The Ice (ALL-NEW)
  • Sing Along Version of the Film
  • Original Theatrical Version of the Film
  • “Get a Horse!” Mickey Mouse Short

The Frozen Sing-Along DVD releases on November 18, 2014.

New Poster for The Boxtrolls Revealed

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A brand new poster for the upcoming LAIKA film, The Boxtrolls, has been released which you can see above. The film was directed by Anthony Staachi and Graham Annable and is based on the novel “Here Be Monsters” by Alan Snow.

The Boxtrolls is a family event movie from the creators of “Coraline” and “ParaNorman” that introduces audiences to a new breed of family – The Boxtrolls, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they’ve built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. When the town’s villain, Archibald Snatcher (Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley), comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, Eggs decides to venture above ground, “into the light,” where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnifred (Elle Fanning). Together, they devise a daring plan to save Eggs’ family.

The Boxtrolls features an all-star cast boasting big names stars including Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Elle Fanning, Jared Harris, Toni Collette, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, and Tracy Morgan.

The film will hit theaters on September 26, 2014. You can see the official trailer below:

A Wrinkle in Time Being Adapted for Film

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The director and co-writer of Frozen is about to adapt the novel “A Wrinkle in Time” for the big screen. Jennifer Lee won an Oscar for Frozen which is currently the highest grossing animated movie of all time.

“A Wrinkle in Time” was written in 1962 by Madeleine L’Engle and has been an iconic young adult novel. This will be the second time Disney has adapted the novel. It was released as a made for TV movie in 2003 which was vehemently disliked by the novel’s author. I expected it to be bad, and it is,” the author remarked. However, Lee says “A Wrinkle in Time” was one of her favorite novels as a child so hopefully that means she will do it justice.

Currently, there is not director attached. According to Variety, Jim Whitaker and Catherine Hand have signed on to produce. There are no actors being eyed to star at the moment.

There is no anticipated release date at the moment or a date for when production will begin.

Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles Heading to Film

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Anne Rice is most known for her book series, “The Vampire Chronicles” and now Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have officially optioned the film rights to the series according to a report from TheWrap.

Most notably, the first installment in the book series, “Interview with the Vampire” was famously made into a film in 1994. It starred Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the lead roles. Then, in 2002, the next installment was adapted, titled “The Queen of the Damned.” It starred Aaliyah and Stuart Townsend.

While the series has been optioned, there has been no announcement about what the exact plans are for the series. A remake of the “Interview with the Vampire” is very likely considering it has been 20 years since the original film was made. An official announcement is expected to made soon as the studio will have to begin planning for production.

Brian Grazer is set to producer with Hollywood BFF’s Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. No actors or directors have been announced for the project either.

Bill Murray Joins Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book

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One of the best people in existence, Bill Murray, has joined the cast of the upcoming reboot of The Jungle Book from Jon Favreau. Murray will be lending his voice to lovable character Baloo (the bear.)

Baloo is often portrayed as an easy-going, lazy, or sleepy brown bear who puts off responsibility in favor of fun and/or sleeping.

The upcoming film will be both live-action and animation. It is based on the novel by Rudyard Kipling and is the iconic story of the young boy Mowgli who was raised by animals in the jungle.

Other cast members of The Jungle Book include Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Lupita Nyong’o as Raksha, Christopher Walken as King Louie, Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, and Neel Sethi as Mowgli.

Favreau will be directing with a script written by Justin Marks. It should be noted that this project should not be confused with a similar project from Warner Bros. Pictures titled The Jungle Book: Origins that will be directed by Andy Serkis. The Serkis project will release a year later than this film from Favreau.

The Jungle Book is scheduled to hit theaters in 2D and 3D on October 9, 2015.