The Tracking Board’s Film Rights Round Up Of 2015
0In 2015, we ramped up our efforts to track TV and film rights, following the hottest literary properties from the moment they hit the rights market. We scoured our bookshelves to find some of our favorite novels from the past year that are still available on the rights market, and highlighted a few of the properties optioned this year that we just can’t wait to see up on the big screen.
Our Top 5 Books That Were Optioned In 2015
5. FERALS by Jacob Grey
Jacob Grey’s popular YA series follows a boy named Caw, who has been able to talk to crows for his entire life. When he was five, his parents were killed, leaving him to take shelter in a nest of crows in an abandoned park. Years later, Caw discovers that there are other people who share his gift.
Fox 2000 picked up the rights to Ferals earlier this year with plans for a triology, and assigned Young & Hungry alum Max Botkin to write the screenplay. The Hunger Games meets Animorphs? Sure, let’s do it.
FILM RIGHTS: FOX 2000
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4. BARBIE AND RUTH by Robin Gerber
It’s not so much that we’ve been desperately waiting to see the origin story of Barbie on the big screen, but rather how impressed we are by the moxie of Reese Witherspoon and her producing partner Bruna Papandrea in picking up the rights to Robyn Gerber’s book about Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler. As soon as it was announced that Sony was developing an actual ‘Barbie’ movie–in which a lively version of the doll dishes out relationship advice–Witherspoon shot up to the top of the list of actresses best-suited to play the flesh and blood version of the fake plastic blonde. Her response? Secure the rights to the book about the woman behind the doll–the woman who became a trailblazing, international business mogul–and attach herself to that role instead. Witherspoon for the win.
FILM RIGHTS: Pacific Standard
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3. HOW TO STEAL THE MONA LISA by Taylor Bayouth
Though it’s not going to hit shelves until March 1st, 2016, Taylor Bayouth’s How to Steal the Mona Lisa: and Six Other World-Famous Treasures is already primed for a big-screen adaptation. Imagine Entertainment has jump-started the project, with heads Ron Howard and Brian Grazer producing. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for an Ocean’s 11 meets National Treasure sort of adventure with slightly more attention paid to character development and plot coherence. Hey, it could happen!
FILM RIGHTS: Imagine Entertainment
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2. THE GREAT ZOO OF CHINA by Matthew Reilly
We heard Jurassic Park with Game of Thrones-esque dragons. Where do we get in line?
FILM RIGHTS: TriStar
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1. NARUTO by Masashi Kishimoto
Naruto, the wildly popular Japanese manga series, follows Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who dreams of one day becoming the Hokage, the village ninja who serves as protector and leader, considered strongest of them all. The film is currently underway at Lionsgate, with Michael Gracey directing and Avi Arad producing.
It remains to be seen whether or not fans will accept Hollywood’s Naruto, as in the past popular manga series haven’t fared well after being churned out through the studio grinder. Take Fox’s Dragonball: Evolution for instance, which was met with universal disdain after it soullessly butchered its take on the immensely beloved Dragon Ball series. Fans can only hope that that grievous misfire will serve as a lesson for all adaptations to come.
FILM RIGHTS: Lionsgate
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Our Top 5 Books That Are Still Available On The Rights Market
5. DRAGONFISH by Vu Tran
Vu Tran’s debut novel offers that perfect blend of smokey mystery against a gritty setting, with a rich narrative and complex characters. With a powerful relationship at its center, the story explores the seedy underbelly of Oakland while masterfully incorporating the colored history of its Vietnamese culture. Dragonfish is perfectly suited to become a thrilling neo-noir with diverse, meaty roles for top-tier talent.
LITERARY: Trident Media Group | Ellen Levine
TV/FILM RIGHTS: CAA | Jon Cassir
See our film rights exclusive here!
4. CARRY ON by Rainbow Rowell
Carry On is the story of Simon Snow, the worst ‘chosen one’ who’s ever been chosen. Half the time, he can’t even make his magic wand work, and the other half of the time, something accidentally catches on fire. His mentor is avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a monster running around wearing Simon’s face. His roommate and nemesis, Baz, would be having a field day with this, but he didn’t even bother to show up for their last year at Watford School of Magicks.
Author Rainbow Rowell says the book was directly inspired by Harry Potter, and it could very well be just that–the next young adult franchise set in the world of wizardry and wonder that not only turns its target audience onto reading, but brings them to the theaters in droves as well.
LITERARY: Selectric Artists | Christopher Schelling
TV/FILM RIGHTS: UTA | Kassie Evashevski
See our film rights exclusive here!
3. SEVENEVES by Neal Stephenson
It’s no surprise that Anatham author Neal Stephenson’s incredible work of science fiction made Goodreads list of the best sci-fi literature produced in 2015. The epic story begins in a world in which a catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb, and governments band together to develop a plan to leave the planet. 5,000 years later, humanity has branched off into seven distinct races, who embark on a new journey–to an alien world called ‘Earth’.
With hints of Battlestar Gallactica and Interstellar, its easy to see how Stephenson’s latest work of brilliant imagination could translate into an amazing outer space adventure on either television or film.
LITERARY: Darhansoff & Verrill | Liz Darhansoff
TV/FILM RIGHTS: ICM | Rich Green
See our film rights exclusive here!
2. TWO YEARS EIGHT MONTHS AND TWENTY-EIGHT NIGHTS by Salman Rushdie
Literary giant Salman Rushdie’s work might not be instantly recognizable as ‘adaptable’, and indeed, it’s meant to be experienced first and foremost on the page. While his landmark novel Midnight’s Children didn’t translate to the big screen as well as Rushdie would’ve hoped, it could be argued that a feature film wasn’t the right medium for it. Imagine, however, a series on HBO or Netflix that allows Rushdie’s sprawling stories to live, breathe and grow over the course of twelve hours–a proper exploration of the author’s fantastical yet timely themes against a Manhattan backdrop.
LITERARY: The Wylie Agency | Andrew Wylie
TV/FILM RIGHTS: UTA | Kassie Evashevski
See our film rights exclusive here!
1. FATES AND FURIES by Lauren Groff
If it wasn’t enough for Lauren Groff to see her book become a Man Booker Award finalist, President Obama himself named it his favorite book of 2015. Groff’s story expertly weaves comedy and tragedy into the tale of a marriage on the rocks, told from both sides of the relationship. Showtime’s acclaimed series The Affair has already proven that this sort of narrative device can make for compelling television, so perhaps Groff’s novel will head straight for the big screen. It seems only a matter of time given the book’s rapidly mounting popularity and critical praise.
LITERARY: The Clegg Agency | Bill Clegg
TV/FILM RIGHTS: WME | Alicia Gordon
See our film rights exclusive here!
In case you missed it, on Monday we revealed our Best and Worst Film Experiences of 2015, and on Tuesday our Best and Worst Television Experiences of 2015. Check back tomorrow when we make our picks for our Most and Least Anticipated Movies of 2016!