James Cameron has optioned Taylor Stevens’ debut thriller, The Informationist (RH/Crown, 2011), with plans to direct it.

It’s “one of the most cinematic books I’ve ever read,” Cameron’s producing partner Jon Landau tells the L.A. Times, and it has “all the classic Jim Cameron elements — a female protagonist who is smart, physically adept and skilled, great action, an unexpected love story.” He also notes that Cameron found the book himself, “Jim is a reading sponge” (curiously, though, none of his previous movies have been based on books).

This project may be a long time coming; Cameron is currently wrestling with two Avatar sequels; back in Sept., he told the L.A. Times that writing the two scripts at the same time (they will be shot back-to-back), is a daunting task.

The Informationist, introduces Vanessa “Michael” Munroe. In reviewing the book, USA Today said that Munroe,

…evokes the spirit and intelligence of the gutsy, damaged Salander [from Stieg Larsson’s books], but she’s far from derivative…Much will be made of the similarities between Munroe and Salander. But in some ways, Munroe’s brooding personality and her ability to blend in to her surroundings bring to mind the provocative Jason Bourne…Thank goodness a sequel to this fiery novel is in the works.

Munroe’s second outing came in The Innocent (RH/Crown, 8/28/12). The next will be The Doll, (RH/Crown, 6/4/13). Cameron will have plenty of material for sequels; the author is planning a seven-book series.

Author Veronica Roth writes on her blog that she has spoken to Neil Burger, the director of the adaptation of her book Divergent  (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books) and now feels her work is in “good good hands” because, “Neil knew the books remarkably well, and asked some amazing questions about the world and the story, and generally demonstrated tremendous respect for the books and for my answers.”

Roth says she is also confident in the casting choices Burger will make. Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager, The Descendants) is currently in talks to play the 16-year-old lead. Entertainment Weekly writes why this is good news.

Meanwhile, Roth is hard at work on the final novel in the trilogy, which does not yet have a title, to be released sometime in the fall of 2013. The second book in the series, Insurgent, came out in May.

If  you’ve seen Toby Jones as Hitchcock in the HBO movie, The Girl, you’ll want to compare his performance to Anthony Hopkins, in the trailer, below, for Hitchcock, set for a limited, Oscar-qualifying run beginning Nov. 23rd. That’s Helen Mirren as Hitchcock’s wife, Alma (played by Imelda Staunton in the HBO movie).

Both movies are based on books:

The Girl —  Spellbound By Beauty, by Donald Spoto (RH/Three Rivers)

Hitchock — Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello (Dembner Books, dist. by W.W. Norton, 1990), being re-released as Hitchcock!: Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, Soft Skull Press, Dec. 24 (also, Blackstone Audio).

The original novel, Psycho, treated so disparagingly by Helen Mirren in Hitchcock, it still available in print as well as in audio.

Psycho, Robert Bloch, Overlook Press, 2010; Blackstone Audio

With the wealth of titles published about Hitchcock, this is a great time for a book display.

A live-action movie based on Judith Viorst’s 1972 hit children’s Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Atheneum) has just been picked up by Disney, according to Deadline. It will be directed by Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right) from a script she wrote with Rob Lieber (Septimus Heap: Magyk). Steve Carrell is set to star as Alexander’s father.

Lionsgate has closed a deal with Amor Towles to adapt his book Rules of Civility, (Penguin/Viking). According to Deadline, Lionsgate’s president Erik Feig, has been pursuing Towles since last spring. He wasn’t the only one courting Towles, who was recluctant because, as “the principal of a big hedge fund, Towles didn’t need Hollywood option money and was wary of trusting Hollywood with the book he’d always wanted to write.”

Last week, it was reported that Michelle Williams will star in a movie based on Suite Francaise, the novel by Irène Némirovsky, which became a surprise hit when it was published in 2004, more than 60 years after the author’s death in Auschwitz.

Following that story, Screen Daily reports that Kirstin Scott Thomas also plans to join the production. Whether the two actresses actually star all depends on who signs on to play Bruno, the German officer that Lucille (Michelle Williams’s character) falls for and if everyone’s schedules line up.

The film will be directed Saul Dibb, who has had experience with historical fiction. His most recent film was The Duchess (2008), based on Amanda Foreman’s novel, Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire. starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes.

Get ready for the next gen Carrie. The teaser trailer for a new film based on Stephen King’s classic debuted at New York ComicCon over the weekend.

Starring Chloë Grace Moretz as Carrie and Julianne Moore as her deranged mother, the movie arrives in theaters on March 15. 2013.

Official Web site: Carrie-Movie.com

Pitch Perfect, the movie about a college a capella group, opening today, sounds like it has the makings of a hit. People analyzes its appeal, “Though Pitch is wallpaperd with cliches and aimed at folks who worship Glee, it’s funny enough … to amuse even those of us who like our music less earnest and back by a band.” The critics, as rounded up by Rotten Tomatoes, generally agree. Just a few (including the New York Times) were not amused.

Many may be surprised to hear that the movie is based on the 2008 nonfiction book by GQ editor, Mickey Rapkin, now re-released as a tie-in. Most libraries own just a few copies of the original, with some holds.

Pitch Perfect (movie tie-in): The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory Mickey Rapkin Retail Price: $16.00 Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Penguin/Gotham – (2012-09-04) ISBN / EAN: 1592408214 / 9781592408214

Character names as movie titles are currently in vogue. There’s the two Jacks — Jack Reacher (based on Lee Child’s One Shot, in theaters 12/21) and Jack Ryan (based on Tom Clancy’s character, scheduled to arrive a year later) — as well as Alex Cross (based on James Patterson’s character, Oct 19).

Just released is a trailer for Parker, based on the character featured in 24 novels by Donald Westlake, writing as Richard Stark. The U. of Chicago Press, which has been reissuing the novels, describes Parker as displaying “chilling tenacity and laconic anticharm.” The former is on full display in this trailer; not so sure about the latter.

The movie, directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez, opens Jan. 25.

Parker has been featured in several earlier movies. The most famous are Point Blank, 1967, with Lee Marvin in the lead (for some reason, the character’s name was changed to “Walker”) and Mel Gibson in Payback, 1999 (again the name was changed, this time to “Porter”).

The University of Chicago Press is releasing Flashfire as a tie-in (like the other Parker novels, the publisher is making them available in ebook via OverDrive. An audio is being released by AudioGo).

After its win at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, The Silver Linings Playbook is considered a candidate for several Oscar nominations. A new trailer has been released, giving a better impression of the story than the teaser that came out in June.

Based on the novel by Matthew Quick (one of Nancy Pearl’s picks for summer reading, 2009), it arrives in theaters on Nov. 21. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro.

Love the opening segment.

—

Tie-in:

The Silver Linings Playbook [movie tie-in edition]l Matthew Quick Retail Price: $15.00 Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books – (2012-10-16) ISBN / EAN: 0374533571 / 9780374533571

Critics were wowed by the premiere of Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, based on the book by Yann Martel, at the New York Film Festival on Friday. It’s now considered a shoe-in for multiple Oscar nominations.

The rest of us won’t get to see it until the regular run begins on Nov. 21.

Official Web site: LifeOfPiMovie.com

Below is the latest trailer, released last week.

In addition to the movie tie-in and the audio version from HighBridge, a behind-the-scenes book is being published by Harper Design.

The Making of Life of Pi: A Film, a Journey Jean-Christophe Castelli Retail Price: $35.00 Hardcover: 160 pages Publisher: Harper Design – (2012-10-30) ISBN / EAN: 0062114131 / 9780062114136

Taylor Swift has signed on to play Joni Mitchell in Sony Pictures’ adaptation of Sheila Weller’s Girls Like Us (S&S; Atria, 2008), which chronicles the lives of Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon.

Up for the part of Carly Simon are Allison Williams (Marnie in Girls), Jessica Pare (Megan Draper in Mad Men), and Analeigh Tipton (Crazy, Stupid, Love).

Reportedly under consideration for Carole King are Alison Pill (Newsroom‘s Maggie Jordan), Olivia Thirlby (Juno),  Ari Graynor (For a Good Time Call…), and Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks).

Girls Like Us was praised by the NYT BR for “Weller’s skills as a storyteller and her understanding of the musical traditions that inspired each of her subjects.”

Don’t weed those copies just yet. Reports of possible leads for Steven Spielberg’s Robopocalypse, based on last year’s novel by Daniel H. Wilson (RH/Doubleday; BOT), indicate that the movie is on track for a planned release date of April 25, 2014.

Anne Hathaway and Chris Hemsworth are in talks to star, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Written as an oral history of a robot uprising against humans, the book was heavily promoted at BEA in 2011 and landed on the NYT best seller list at #13 for one week. It won a 2012 Alex Award and has been used in STEM programs, gaining it the distinction of an attempted ban, due to its use of certain colorful language.

A second trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, emerged online last week. According to those who track such things, it offers “the most detailed glimpse yet at Peter Jackson’s return to the world he created in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.”

The movie, which releases this Dec. 14, will be followed by two others in the series:

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — Dec. 13, 2013

The Hobbit: There And Back Again — July 18, 2014

In addition to the trade paperback tie-in edition of the novel, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will release several related titles, including a behind-the-scenes book.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Official Movie Guide Brian Sibley Retail Price: $14.95 Paperback: 192 pages Publisher: Mariner Books – (2012-11-06) ISBN / EAN: 054789855X / 9780547898551

The trailer for Ang Lee’s 3-D adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker Award winning novel, Life of  Pi, has just been released online. The movie opens on Nov. 21.

Official movie site: LifeOfPiMovie.com

In addition to a trade paperback movie tie-in and the audio CD (HighBridge), there will also be a behind-the-scenes book:

The Making of Life of Pi: A Film, a Journey Jean-Christophe Castelli Retail Price: $35.00 Hardcover: 160 pages Publisher: Harper Design – (2012-10-30) ISBN / EAN: 0062114131 / 9780062114136