Page to screen quick hits: 'Shadow and Bone,' 'This Is Where I Leave You,' and much more
What's the latest news on books going the cinematic route?
By Kate Erbland Feb 13, 2013 9:17AM
The Hollywood Reporter, err, reports that screenwriter Christopher Kyle ("K-19: Widowmaker," the upcoming adaptation of Ron Rash's "Serena") is in talks to adapt Leigh Bardugo's "Shadow and Bone" for the screen. DreamWorks is setting up this latest big screen take on a popular YA novel with franchise leanings (the book is intended to be the first in a trilogy). Bardugo's novel was published in June and centers on "a land under attack by a swath of darkness filled with creatures that feast on human flesh" in which "a young woman discovers she has a dormant power that could be a key to turning the tide and is taken to be trained by her country’s magical elite." Tasty. And while that might all sound a bit "been there, done that" when it comes to the YA world, the book did debut on the New York Times best-seller list and has already had a third printing.---
THR also reports that Sony is "updating" Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" with an all-new "adventurous take" on the material called "Dodge and Twist." This idea comes care of Ahmet Zappa, with Cole Haddon (creator of an upcoming "Dracula" television series) set to write the screenplay. The film will apparently center on "pickpocketing rivals Oliver Twist and Artful Dodger and re-imagines them 20 years down the road. The two are on opposite sides of the law and get embroiled in an affair to steal the Crown Jewels." That sounds...well, really just awful. Isn't it time for another "A Christmas Carol" update instead? No, not just yet? Give it a year.
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The Weinstein Company (TWC) is already making plans for Valentine's Day of 2014, as a press release sent out by the studio reports that they've picked up the U.S. rights to Richelle Mead's "Blood Sisters," the first film to spring forth from the "Vampire Academy" YA series, with plans to release it on February 14, 2014. Mark Waters ("Mean Girls," which means he is perfect for this job) will direct, with Dan Waters ("Heathers," also perfect) set to pen the script. There are currently six "Vampire Academy" books in the series, which centers on, well, apparently some sort of school for vampires. Zooey Deutch, Lucy Fry, and Danila Kozlovsky are set to star. It's okay, this is the first we've heard of them, too.
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After jumping ship on the big screen adaptation of Jonathan Tropper's "This Is Where I Leave You," Jason Bateman is again set to star in the film. Check out more about this new project, over at our very own The Hitlist.---
Did you think that was it for our supernatural YA cinematic adaptation news? Ha, how wrong you were! THR (which seems to have some kind of monopoly on this news) reports that Universal has grabbed the rights to an upcoming series from Julie Kagawa ("The Iron Fey"). The series is not yet named and, oh, yeah, doesn't even really exist yet, as the studio has bought the rights based simply on a proposal. Nice work, Kagawa! The series is supernatural in tone, and "is set in a present-day coastal town where mythical creatures hide amongst us cloaked as humans. Slayers belonging to an order that dates back to St. George infiltrate the town disguised as out-of-town kids, setting up a confrontation and, as is the case with YA books, a love triangle." We are shocked by this news. The first book will be released in 2015.
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And, finally, over at The Hitlist, we pass along news of a new take on Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved "The Secret Garden," this one coming care of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" scribe Lucy Alibar. This is the adaptation we are most excited about it when it comes to this particular line-up of new projects.
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Which of these films are you excited to see? Any other books you've been dying to see hit the big screen?
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