Magic Man
A menagerie of circus freaks, including a chicken lady and a human pin cushion. A magician who performs in blackface. They all make memorable appearances in Daniel Wallace's upcoming novel Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician, to be published by Doubleday next summer. Currently being shopped around by UTA's Howie Sanders, Wallace's tale—which concerns the curious backstory of Henry Walker, a 1950s-era African-American magician performing at Mosgrove's Chinese Circus—is prime pickings for producers eager to latch onto Tinseltown's current vogue for magic-related projects (witness: Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Christopher Priest's The Prestige; Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti in the upcoming thriller The Illusionist). Wallace is repped for lit by Regal Literary's Joe Regal.
Movie Man
Although director Alan Parker's 1999 adaptation of Frank McCourt's powerful memoir Angela's Ashes failed to impress critics and audiences (the Emily Watson starrer grossed only $13 million domestically), the Baldwin Entertainment Group (Ray; The Game of Their Lives) is positive a bit of Irish luck is still on their side. The production company has just optioned the film rights to Teacher Man (Scribner, 2005), McCourt's account of his 30-year career as a New York City public school teacher, for a "substantial sum" against a seven-figure purchase price. Academy Award—winning screenwriter Ron Bass (Snow Falling on Cedars) has already been tapped to adapt, and production is scheduled to begin next year. IPG's Joel Gotler negotiated the deal on behalf of New York literary agent Molly Friedrich.
Tarts and Torts
Who says the law isn't sexy? In The Tuesday Erotica Club, Lisa Beth Kovetz's just-published debut novel from Sourcebooks, four bored law-firm employees—including a pregnant paralegal, a dim-witted secretary and a menopausal lawyer—swap self-penned naughty stories over sandwiches . Enticed by the Sex and the City—style film possibilities, indie film producer James Middleton and screenwriter Steven Gary Banks (Are We There Yet?) have preemptively optioned the title. Kovetz, a screenwriter (2001's Richard II) and playwright herself, is set to adapt the novel. The deal was negotiated by Artists and Artisans' Adam Chromy.
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