Elton John’s production company, Rocket Pictures, has purchased the best selling children’s fiction series, Nerds (Abrams/Amulet), reports Deadline. The books are about five nerdy kids who happen to be secret agents (or, as author Michael Buckley describes the characters, “James Bond with asthma”) .

The most recent title in the series, NERDS Book Three: The Cheerleaders of Doom came out in September. Elton John’s company has had experience with adaptations, having produced Gnomeo and Juliet.

Long in the works (it was first signed in 2009), a movie version of the YA series Sweet Valley High will be musical. Diablo Cody, who wrote the screenplay for Young Adult (now in theaters, starring Charlize Theron) and Juno, is at work on the adaptation. She recently told MTV that original music is being written for it and it “may be” a musical. Last week, she confirmed that it will be in an interview in The Guardian. No casting yet, but with so many adult fans in the media, speculation is rife.

The first Sweet Valley High book came out in 1983. The series ran for 20 years spawning over 150 titles plus multiple spin-offs as well as a TV series, and last year’s Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later (St. Martin’s; released in paperback this month) which takes the characters into adulthood.

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The number of Oscar Best Picture nominees adapted from books (6 of 9) has piqued the interest of Entertainment Weekly‘s “Shelf Life” blog. As a result, through the upcoming weeks, they will compare the books to the movies in a series called, “Reading the Oscars.”

First up is a look at The Descendants, a debut novel that had limited success before the release of the movie. In this case, says EW, the movie follows the book closely, and manages to improve upon it.

Six of the nine Academy Awards Best Picture nominations were adapted from books. In all, thirteen movies based on books received nominations. Two of those titles, Hugo and The Descendants, also received nominations for Best Director [NOTE: Thanks to those that pointed out that we overlooked the Best Picture nomination for Hugo in the earlier version of this story. We have now corrected that oversight].

Hugo is regarded as the film that stands to gain the most from winning. Worldwide box office so far is about half the movie’s $170-million production cost. The L.A. Times quotes Scorsese,  “I think this could help the audience understand that it’s an enjoyable and very moving experience — that it has some depth to it.”

Below are the thirteen movies based on books that received major nominations, with links to an EarlyWord story about each. Full tie-in information is in our 2011 Books-to-Movies Archive (plenty of titles there for a book display, whether actual or online).

The Adventures of Tintin — Best Music (John Williams) — Tintin Teaser

Albert Nobbs — Best Actress (Glenn Close), Best Supporting Actress (Janet McTeer), Best Makeup — ALBERT NOBBS, The Book

The Descendants — Best Picture, Best Actor (George Clooney), Best Director (Alexander Payne), Best Editing (Kevin Tent), Best Adapted Screenplay — What Makes George Clooney Run?

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close — Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Max von Sydow) — INCREDIBLY CLOSE This Christmas

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  — Best Actress (Rooney Mara), Best Cinematography (Jeff Cronenweth), Best Editing (Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall), Best Sound Editing — Still Talking about DRAGON TATTOO

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 — Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, Best Visual Effects

The Help — Best Picture, Best Actress (Viola Davis), Best Supporting Actress (Jessica Chastain), Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer) — Alternate Ending to THE HELP

Hugo — Best Picture, Best Director (Martin Scorsese), Best Cinematography (Robert Richardson), Best Art Direction, Best Costume, Best Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker), Best Music (Howard Shore), Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Adapted Screenplay — Behind the Scenes with Hugo and Martin

Jane Eyre — Best Costume — JANE EYRE At the Box Office

Moneyball — Best Picture, Best Actor (Brad Pitt), Best Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill), Best Editing (Christopher Tellefsen), Best Adapted Screenplay — MONEYBALL Is Rolling

My Week With Marilyn — Best Actress (Michelle Williams), Best Supporting Actor (Kenneth Branagh) — THE MARILYN OBSESSION

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy — Best Actor (Gary Oldman), Best Music (Alberto Iglesias), Best Adapted Screenplay — The Anti-Bond

War Horse  — Best Picture, Best Cinematography (Janusz Kaminski), Best Music (John Williams, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing — Spielberg’s WAR HORSE

The news that the studio behind the Hunger Games, Lions Gate  has bought Summit, the studio behind Twilight, has raised speculation that Meyer’s series will not go gentle into that good night after Breaking Dawn Part 2 hits theaters in November. An L.A. Times headline procliams “Twilight saga may continue after fifth film, Lions Gate CEO says.”

The actual comment is not so definitive. Asked whether Twilight will continue, Lions Gate CEO Jon Feltheimer basically said,  “Boy I hope so.”

Meanwhile, Meyer is part of the production team working on the adaptation of her non-Twilight title, The Host. It begins shooting February 13 in Baton Rouge and stars Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) William Hurt and Max Irons (Red Riding Hood) and is scheduled to release on March 12, 2013.

Kate Winslet is set to star as WWII magazine columnist, Juliet Ashton in the film version of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Random House, 2008). Kenneth Branagh will direct (and, some speculate, star as Dawsey Adams). Filming is to begin in March.

Back in November, Variety reported that Branagh had abandoned Guernsey for an adaptation of Italian Shoes by Henning Mankell (New Press, 2009), starring Judi Dench and Anthony Hopkins. That project appears to now be on the back burner.

Our first clue that the film adaptation of The Descendants did well at last night’s Golden Globes was the rise of the tie-in on Amazon’s sales rankings (now at #125, from #2,944).

What do these wins portend for the Oscars? MTV explores that question.

Below are the winners based on books, with tie-ins (full list here).

Best Motion Picture (Drama)
The Descendants

Best Actor (Drama)
George Clooney (The Descendants)

Tie-in:

The Descendants: A Novel Kaui Hart Hemmings Retail Price: $15.00 Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks – (2011-10-04) ISBN / EAN: 0812982959 / 9780812982954

Best Director
Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

Tie-in:

The Hugo Movie Companion Brian Selznick Retail Price: $19.99 Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press – (2011-10-01) ISBN / EAN: 0545331552 / 9780545331555

Best Actress (Drama)
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

Tie-in: No specific book is listed as the source for the screenplay. In the UK, a biography titled The Iron Lady was published in 2003. Penguin has released an abridged version in the U.S. to coincide with the movie.

The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, from Grocer’s Daughter to Prime Minister John Campbell Retail Price: $16.00 Hardcover: 576 pages Publisher: Penguin – (2011-10-25) ISBN: 9780143120872

Best Actress (Musical or Comedy)
Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)
Tie-in:

My Week with Marilyn Colin Clark Retail Price: $16.00 Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Weinstein Books – (2011-10-04) ISBN / EAN: 1602861498 / 9781602861497

Audio; Dreamscape

Best Animated Feature Film
The Adventures of Tintin

Tie-ins: In addition, to the following, LBYR has released new “Young Readers Editions” of the Tintin books, with original story and art, plus background material (full list of titles available here).

The Adventures of Tintin: The Chapter Book (Movie Tie-In) Retail Price: $4.99 Paperback: 80 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2011-11-01) ISBN / EAN: 0316185736 / 9780316185738

The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin’s Daring Escape (Movie Tie-In) Kirsten Mayer Retail Price: $3.99 Paperback: 24 pages Publisher: LB Kids – (2011-11-01) ISBN / EAN: 0316185744 / 9780316185745

The Adventures of Tintin: The Mystery of the Missing Wallets (Passport to Reading Level 2) Kirsten Mayer Retail Price: $3.99 Paperback: 32 pages Publisher: LB Kids – (2011-11-01) ISBN / EAN: 0316185752 / 9780316185752

The Adventures of Tintin: Danger at Sea (Passport to Reading Level 2) Kirsten Mayer Retail Price: $3.99 Paperback: 32 pages Publisher: LB Kids – (2011-11-01) ISBN / EAN: 0316185779 / 9780316185776

The Adventures of Tintin: A Novel (Movie Tie-In) Alex Irvine Retail Price: $14.99 paperback 240 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2011-11-01) ISBN : 9780316185790

Best Supporting Actress:
Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Tie-in:

The Help (Movie Tie-In) Kathryn Stockett Retail Price: $16.00 Paperback: 544 pages Publisher: Berkley Trade – (2011-06-28) ISBN / EAN: 0425245136 / 9780425245132

Steven Spielberg’s two holiday movies are both based on books (War Horse and Tintin). The director  is currently at work on Lincoln, based on the last section of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals (S&S, 2005) starring Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. This week, he confirmed in an interview with Time Out London that his next movie will be Robopocalypse, based on the novel by Daniel H. Wilson (RH/Doubleday, June, 2011), a thriller set in the near future that was heavily promoted at BEA this year and landed on the NYT best seller list at #13 for one week. Spielberg signed it before it was published, based on a 100-page sample.

Spielberg describes the project to Time Out London,

It’s a movie about a global war between man and machine.I had a great time creating the future on Minority Report, and it’s a future that is coming true faster than any of us thought it would. Robopocalypse takes place in 15 or 20 years, so it’ll be another future we can relate to. It’s about the consequences of creating technologies which make our lives easier, and what happens when that technology becomes smarter than we are. It’s not the newest theme, it’s been done throughout science fiction, but it’s a theme that becomes more relevant every year.

Yesterday, we reported on the next moves by various Harry Potter alums. In addition, Chris Columbus, director of the first two Harry Potter movies, is turning his eyes to creating source material. Entertainment Weekly interviewed him recently, after he signed a deal with HarperCollins to write House of Secrets, a middle-grade fantasy trilogy, with co-author Ned Vizzini (who wrote It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which became a movie starring Zach Galifianakis). No release date has been set.

Why buy the rights to someone else’s books when you can write your own?

Many of you were dismayed when you learned that Tom Cruise had been chosen to play Jack Reacher in the film version of  Lee Child’s One Shot (RH/Delacorte, 2005). At 6 feet 5 inches and  around 250 pounds, Reacher is an imposing figure. Tom Cruise is…smaller.

Here’s a way to vent your feelings; the Wall Street Journal today offers the opportunity to vote on who would make the best Reacher. So far, Cruise trails all the choices, with just 3% of the votes. Daniel Craig leads, with 28%, followed closely by Viggo Moretensen (23%) and Ray Stevenson (22%).

It’s been a long an tortuous road to bring Reacher to the screen, and not only because the lead was difficult to cast, as the accompanying WSJ article explores.

The movie, One Shot, is expected to be released in 2013. Child tells the WSJ that if it is a success, Killing Floor (Penguin/Putnam, 1997) will probably be the next title in the series. Bad Luck and Trouble (RH/Delacorte, 2007) is under discussion for #3.

The graduates of Hogwarts may be on to new chapters in their careers, but they are sticking to book adaptations.

After appearing in a supporting role in My Week with Marilyn, Emma Watson’s next role is in the adaptation of the coming-of-age novel, The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (S&S/MTV Books). She plays Sam, who guides wallflower Charlie (Logan Lerman) through the pitfalls of trying to fit in. Chbosky wrote the screenplay and directs. Summit has just released the first images from the film. There’s no opening date yet, but it is expected some time this year.

Watson’s Harry Potter co-star, Daniel Radcliffe, next stars in The Woman in Black, based on the book by Susan Hill. It opens on February 3rd.

The Woman in Black (Movie Tie-in Edition): A Ghost Story Susan Hill Retail Price: $14.00 Paperback: 176 pages Publisher: Vintage – (2012-01-03) ISBN / EAN: 0307745317 / 9780307745316

Meanwhile, J.K. Rowling seems to be having trouble with the launch of Pottermore.com. After opening in Beta for a select group of 1 million users this summer, with plans to open to the rest of the world in October, it was put on indefinite hold in November. The Pottermore Insider blog gives no clues; it’s focused on posting art by the Beta users.

George Clooney has starred in many movies based on books (The Descendants, The American, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Up in the Air and even The Fantastic Mr. Fox). He hits the books again with his next project, a big budget film based on The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. According to the movie news site, The Wrap. Clooney is writing the script with producing partner Grant Heslov. The pair also collaborated on Good Night, and Good Luck, and The Ides of March. Clooney plans to direct and star in the movie.

The book is by Robert M. Edsel who, after selling his oil and gas exploration company, began researching the international efforts to rescue art from the hands of the Nazis (the group who did this were called “The Monuments Men,” although at least one woman was part of the group), and created a foundation for art preservation.

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History Robert M. Edsel Retail Price: $26.99 Hardcover: 513 pages Publisher: Center Street – (2009-09-03) ISBN 9781599951492

Edsel co-produced a documentary on the subject, The Rape of Europa, based on the book by Lynn Nicholas. The film is included in The Greatest Theft in History, an educational program for schools and libraries.

The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War Lynn H. Nicholas Retail Price: $17.00 Paperback: 512 pages Publisher: Vintage – (1995-04-25) ISBN / EAN: 0679756868 / 9780679756866

Edsel published an earlier book, Rescuing Da Vinci, which was published in 2006.

Rescuing Da Vinci: Hitler and the Nazis Stole Europe’s Great Art – America and Her Allies Recovered It Robert M. Edsel Retail Price: $39.95 Hardcover: 302 pages Publisher: Laurel Publishing, LLC – (2006-12-15) ISBN / EAN: 0977434907 / 9780977434909

Another book on the subject is Ilaria Dagnini Brey’s The Venus Fixers.

The Venus Fixers: The Remarkable Story of the Allied Soldiers Who Saved Italy’s Art During World War II Ilaria Dagnini Brey Retail Price: $26.00 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Macmillan/FSG – (2009-08-04) ISBN / EAN: 0374283095 / 9780374283094

The film version of Pete Dexter’s The Paperboy, (Random House, 1995), starring Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey and John Cusack, directed by Lee Daniels (Precious) wrapped shooting this September in New Orleans (even though the movie, like the book, is set in Florida).

As yet, there’s no release date, trailer, or tie-in edition, but we do have this retro poster. It doesn’t offer many clues about the movie, but nevertheless, much is being made of it — and Efron’s biceps — on  fan sites.

Among the films that will premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival (January 19-29) are several based on books. The most well-known is Lay the Favorite, based on the 2010 gambling memoir by Beth Raymer (RH/Spiegel & Grau, 2010). Directed by Stephen Frears (The Queen, High Fidelity), it is produced by Random House Films, a joint venture between Random House, Inc. and Focus Features. The company has released two other films, this summer’s hit starring Anne Hathaway, One Day and 2007’s Reservation Road.

Starring in Lay the Favorite are Bruce Willis, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rebecca Hall as the author. A look at several stills from the movie is available on Film Stage. No general release date has been announced.

The other movies based on books include:

(more…)

Next year brings not only dueling adaptations of Snow White, but of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, in the form of a BBC TV miniseries and a movie.

The miniseries stars Gillian Anderson (she’s had experience with Dickens, having starred in the BBC’s Bleak House in 2005) as Miss Havisham and Ray Winstone as Magwitch. The movie, currently being filmed, stars Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch.

Both the movie and the miniseries dare to depart from Dickens and give the story a new ending (but then, Dickens himself provided two), which has caused a bit of controversy in Great Britain (the American press has so far been silent on that issue).

The two-part miniseries was broadcast in Great Britain over Christmas and will appear on PBS Masterpiece beginning April 1.

At 43, Gillian Anderson is the youngest ever to play Miss Havisham. The Telegraph quotes a Dickens expert who calls her “a cougar rather than a crone.”

But then, the movie Miss Havisham, Helena Bonham Carter is just two years older (Anderson in the role on the left, below; Bonham Carter on the right).

The actor who plays Pip in the movie, Jeremy Irvine, is currently receiving attention for his starring role in Steven Spielberg’s War Horse.

Expect to hear much more about Dickens next year, the 200th anniversary of his birth, including a BBC production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which premieres on PBS on April 15.