SAVAGES Moves Closer to Screens; DUNE is Done
Several bits of news about major upcoming book-to-film adaptations emerged yesterday on the movie news site Deadline.
Savages, Don Winslow, S&S, 7/13/10
The film based on the 2010 novel (which critic Sarah Weinmen calls her #1 favorite crime novel of the year) is moving closer to the screen, with the signing of Benicio Del Toro. Oliver Stone will direct. Deadline
Dune, Frank Herbert, 1965
After working for four years to put together a new version of Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 sci-fi book, Paramount has thrown in the towel and given up the rights, for which they paid over six figures. The project is haunted by past history. Back in 1984, David Lynch directed a version of the book that was both a commercial and critical flop. Deadline
Cleopatra, Stacy Schiff, Little Brown, 11/1/10
News that Angelina Jolie would star in an adaptation of the biography helped push the book on to best seller lists. James Cameron was going to direct it in 3-D. That was before he decided to do two sequels to Avatar. Now David Fincher (The Social Network) is working on it with producer Scott Rudin. However, Fincher has several projects coming up, including The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so he may also have a time problem. Deadline.
Sing You Home, Jodi Picoult, Atria, 3/15/11
Ellen DeGeneres is working with partners to produce Picoult’s latest best seller as a feature film. The author’s My Sister’s Keeper became a 2009 movie, directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin and Alec Baldwin. Deadline