Nicely Blindsided
Stephen Colbert may have missed the point when he interviewed Michael Lewis last week about his latest book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game (Norton, Oct.), but rest assured—Hollywood won't. Hollywood can't resist a real-life sports underdog story (think Remember the Titans) and Lewis's book certainly fits the bill. Blind Sidechronicles the incredible true story of Michael Oher, a poor African-American kid abandoned by his drug-addicted mother, who was rescued by an affluent white family and ended up a top NFL prospect. An excerpt from the book in the September 24 New York TimesMagazine sparked heavy interest from studios, with Fox walking away with the prize. New York scout Drew Reed brought the project into the studio. Lewis is represented by Al Zuckerman of Writer's House. CAA's MattSnyder did the film deal.
L.A. Stories
Last month Hollywood Reader looked at TheInterpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld and The Quickieby James Patterson, two murder mysteries set in New York. Not to be outdone by its East Coast rival, Hollywood responded this week with two book buys about murder, California-style. Jessica Biel, currently starring in the fin-de-siècle thriller The Illusionist, takes another turn at period noir with Megan Abbott's Die a Little (S&S, 2005). The ex-7th Heaven goody-goody has optioned Abbott's '50s novel about a sweet schoolteacher whose suspicions about her brother's new wife lead her to her sister-in-law's murderous past. The Molly Friedrich Agency's Paul Cirrone and CAA's Shari Smiley rep Abbot.
Meanwhile, Random House/Focus Films head Peter Gethers looks to the backlist for his latest film project. The partnership has optioned Ross Macdonald's crime thriller The Galton Case, first published in 1959 and reissued by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard in 1996. Three other works featuring Macdonald's SoCal detective Lew Archer have made it to the screen (most notably 1966's Harper starring Paul Newman). APA's Steve Fisher handles Macdonald's estate.
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