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Last night at the Deadline-hosted celebration of the Black List 20th anniversary, founder Franklin Leonard told attendees that there was more to come.

Now that more to come is here.

Just one day after the Travis Braun-topped 20th anniversary list came out, the Black List Wednesday revealed the inaugural Adaptation List. The selection highlights 61 novels published since the first list came out in 2005 that are primed to be made into big screen and small screen projects.

“There was only one real way to celebrate twenty years of annual Black Lists, make another list that celebrates writers and in so doing makes it more likely that great film and television gets made,” Black List chief Leonard said Wednesday of the list that includes books by Jennifer Egan, Jeffrey Eugenides, and N. K. Jemisin (see the full list below). “Once it was clear that we were going to expand into fiction in September,...

While The Black List has long been the go-to platform to discover indie scripts and hot new voices, the acclaimed organization is now launching an inaugural Adaptation List to spotlight the novels that industry insiders most want to see adapted for the screen.

These days, novel adaptations have been heating up Hollywood, thanks in no small part to the rise of BookTok. Beloved BookTok authors like Emily Henry and Colleen Hoover have already been slated to have their respective books brought to film and TV, while Taylor Jenkins Reid has been building a franchise of interconnected stories, including “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” “Malibu Rising,” and “Daisy Jones and the Six.”

The Black List founder Franklin Leonard and Creative Director of Fiction Randy Winston surveyed 84 publishing industry editors and literary agents, who selected the 61 novels that they believe are poised for adaptations. All novels had to be published after 2005, when The Black List launched.

Siân Heder, director of best picture winner “Coda,” has signed on to direct the adaptation of “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” for Paramount Pictures.

The bestselling 2022 novel by Gabrielle Zevin was adapted by Mark Bomback from a draft written by Zevin.

The sprawling and ambitious story revolves around two friends who meet as children in Los Angeles and reunite as adults in Cambridge to create video games, “finding an intimacy in digital storytelling that eludes them in their real lives,” the synopsis reads. “The relationship explores the intimacy, passion, and heartbreak of creative collaboration, set against the visually groundbreaking worlds brought to life by the rising video game industry of the 1990s-2000s.”

In addition to covering several decades and cities, the book includes unique scenes such as sequences set inside videogames. It struck a nerve with readers for its creative approach to combining a love story over the years...

Exclusive: Paramount Pictures highly-anticipated adaptation of the best-seller Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow is gaining some serious momentum as Oscar winner Siân Heder has been tapped to direct the adaptation which is based on the New York Times best-selling novel of the same name by Gabrielle Zevin. Mark Bomback wrote the script based off a draft penned by Zevin. Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and Isaac Klausner will produce. Zevin will executive Produce.

The novel is a modern love story about two friends who meet as children and reunite as adults to create video games, finding an intimacy in digital storytelling that eludes them in their real lives. The relationship explores the intimacy, passion, and heartbreak of creative collaboration, set against the visually groundbreaking worlds brought to life by the rising video game industry of the 1990s-2000s.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow has sold over 2.8 million copies...

Exclusive: Scott Foley (Scandal) has signed on to star in La Dolce Villa, a new romantic comedy for Netflix. Others cast in the film, from director Mark Waters (Mean Girls), include Violante Placido (The American), Maia Reficco (Do Revenge) and Giuseppe Futia.

La Dolce Villa follows successful businessman Eric (Foley) as he travels to Italy to stop his daydreaming daughter Olivia (Reficco) from blowing her life savings on restoring a crumbling villa she purchased for €1. Italy, however, has different plans for him as it delivers on its legendary promise of beauty, magic, and romance.

Script was written by Elizabeth Hackett & Hilary Galanoy. Pic’s producers are Robyn Snyder, Deborah Evans, and Nicola Rosada. Hackett & Galanoy are serving as executive producers.

Best known for roles on shows like Scandal, Scrubs, Whiskey Cavalier and The Big Leap, Foley will next be seen on the Max political...

Lucy Hale and Nat Wolff make a gorgeous pair in the witty modern rom-com, Which Brings Me to You, which is in theaters Jan. 19, 2024, from Decal. The full synopsis for the new film reads as follows:

"Two romantic messes. One boring wedding. One heated embrace in a quiet coatroom. This is not exactly the recipe for true love. Will and Jane’s encounter at a friend’s wedding isn’t really the beginning of anything with any weight to it; even they know that. When they manage to pull back, it occurs to them that they might start this whole thing over properly. They might try getting to know one another first.

What follows over the course of the day and night is a series of traded confessions — of their messy histories, their past errors, their big loves, their flaws, and their passions. Each love affair, confessed as honestly as possible,...

It’s that time of year again. While some directors annually share their favorite films of the year, Steven Soderbergh lists everything he consumed, media-wise. For 2023––another year in which he not only Magic Mike’s Last Dance Review: Steven Soderbergh and Channing Tatum Take a Familiar, Gentle Bow”>released a new film, but dropped two TV series (Full Circle and Command Z“>Command Z) and shot another film (the Sundance-bound Presence)––he still got plenty of watching in.

Along with catching up on 2023’s new releases, Ferrari, Anatomy of a Fall, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Air, Reality, Dead Reckoning, among others), he took in plenty of classics, including Eyes Wide Shut, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Casablanca, Out of the Past, The Shining, the epic War and Peace, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and, following Tom Wilkinson’s passing, Michael Clayton. He also got an early look at Pussy Island,...

Exclusive: Scott Foley, the actor known for his work in film and television and on stage, who most recently starred in the Broadway production of The Thanksgiving Play, has signed with Independent Artist Group.

Perhaps best known for starring in Shonda Rhimes’ hit ABC series Scandal, and for his breakout performance opposite Keri Russell in The WB’s Felicity, Foley will next be seen on the Max political drama series The Girls on the Bus. He also memorably portrayed Sean Kelly, the affable one-time love interest of Dr. Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), on Bill Lawrence’s Scrubs, before reteaming with Lawrence as the producer and star of his ABC action dramedy Whiskey Cavalier.

Other recent projects for the actor include Fox’s dance dramedy, The Big Leap, and the film The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, an adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel by Gabrielle Zevin. Additional film...

Tablet Magazine announced today that Joshua Malina, whose breakout role in the beloved presidential television drama “The West Wing” made him one of the most respected actors working today, will be joining the Jewish publication’s wildly popular podcast, Unorthodox. He will join current hosts Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz. Malina’s first episode as co-host will be available to stream and download from Thursday, May 25, 2023, wherever you get your podcasts, and on the Unorthodox website.

Unorthodox, which has been airing weekly since 2015, has a passionate audience of tens of thousands of listeners, who call themselves the J-Crew. Each episode features a segment called News of the Jews, as well as interviews with both a Jewish guest and Gentile of the Week.

Previous guests have included actors Nick Kroll, Kathryn Hahn, David Duchovny, and Clive Owen; food personalities Molly Yeh, Jake Cohen, and Adeena Sussman; spiritual leaders Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks,...

Paramount Pictures has renewed its multi-year, first-look film deal with Temple Hill Entertainment, the producer of their smash fall horror hit Smile which grossed over $200M WW and netted a $101M profit for the Melrose Ave. lot.

Under the terms of the agreement, Temple Hill Entertainment will continue to develop films for both Paramount Pictures and its label Paramount Players. On the television side, Temple Hill remains under a first-look deal with Lionsgate.

Paramount Pictures’ Motion Picture Group Co-Presidents Michael Ireland and Daria Cercek said, “Temple Hill has a proven track record for making films that truly connect with people. In the decade that we’ve known them, Wyck, Marty, and Isaac have been incredible collaborators and more importantly, we also count them as friends. We couldn’t be happier to be extending this relationship so we can continue to find new ways to wow audiences together.”

Temple Hill’s Wyck Godfrey,...

Paramount Pictures has renewed its first-look film deal with Temple Hill Entertainment.

The multiyear pact comes after the studio and production company partnered on the horror box office smash Smile, which has grossed $200 million globally. Temple Hill develops films for both Paramount Pictures and its label Paramount Players, under which Smile was developed and produced.

Paramount and Temple Hill are currently working on the film adaptations of Rebecca Serle’s One Italian Summer, Gabrielle Zevin’s New York Times best-selling novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomi Adeyemi’s best-selling YA novel Children of Blood and Bone, as well as the movie musical adaptation of The King & I.

On the television side, Temple Hill remains under a first-look deal with Lionsgate. Recent and upcoming films include horror thriller Bagman from director Colm McCarthy, Chris Landon’s We Have a Ghost for Netflix, and Hannah Marks’ adaptation of John Green...

Paramount Pictures has renewed its multiyear first-look film deal with Temple Hill Entertainment, the studio announced on Monday.

Under the terms of the agreement, Temple Hill Entertainment will continue to develop films for the studio and its label Paramount Players. On the television side, Temple Hill remains under a first-look deal with Lionsgate.

The first-look film deal renewal comes on the heels of the critically acclaimed horror thriller “Smile,” from Paramount Pictures and Temple Hill, which earned more than $200 million at the global box office.

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“Temple Hill has a proven track record for making films that truly connect with people. In the decade that we’ve known them, Wyck, Marty, and Isaac have been incredible collaborators and more importantly, we also count them as friends,” Paramount Pictures’ Motion Picture Group Co-Presidents Michael Ireland and Daria Cercek said in a statement.

Film rights to Rebecca Serle’s novel “One Italian Summer” have sold to Paramount Pictures.

The Brian Robbins-led studio won a competitive auction for the bestseller, published by Simon & Schuster’s Atria label. Temple Hill will produce a feature adaptation and Serle is executive producing with David Stone of Tfc Productions.

“One Italian Summer” follows Katy, a young woman reeling from the recent loss of her mom and best friend Carol. Katy embarks on the trip of a lifetime, meant to be spent as mother and daughter, over two weeks in Positano. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliff sides, delightful residents and delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life. Things take a supernatural turn when suddenly her mother appears in the flesh — healthy, sun-tanned and thirty years old. Over the course of the summer, Katy not only discovers Carol as a young woman, but more about herself than she expected.

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After several lavish years, in which the bounty of big-name books became almost impossible to keep up with, publishing is finally catching up with itself. 2022 was arguably slower, and quieter, than its recent predecessors — there was no Sally Rooney to adorn tote bags all over Brooklyn, no Jonathan Franzen dominating the discourse. Instead of fighting over which blockbusters deserved their place at the very top, there was time and space for titles of all sorts to find a reading audience. Likely, no two “best of” lists will look alike this year, which means the glitch in the system may finally be repairing itself; the algorithm is weakening. Here, THR chooses its top 10 titles and a host of additional works we hope you’ll pick up.

1. Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel

Emily St. John Mandel is so good at world-building that...

Exclusive: Vertical has secured North American rights to the MPI Original Film Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, starring BAFTA- and Tony Award-nominated West Side Story breakout Mike Faist and Teen Wolf‘s Crystal Reed, slating it for a day-and-date release on March 17, 2023.

The film based on a true story centers on Roger Sharpe (Faist), a GQ journalist and real-life pinball wizard who, in 1976, helped overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball.

An unsettled writer with a fantastic mustache, Sharpe finds solace and confidence in the one thing he has mastered: pinball. When a police raid destroys the only machines he can find in 1970s New York City, he learns the game is illegal in the state. Roger then reluctantly joins forces with the Music and Amusement Association to overturn the ban while falling in love with Ellen (Reed), an artist and single mother. Roger’s path...

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has secured North American rights to the horror feature Lullaby, directed by Annabelle‘s John R. Leonetti, from its financier Alcon Entertainment, slating it for release in select theaters and on VOD on December 16.

Pic follows a new mother who discovers a lullaby in an ancient book and regards the song as a blessing. But her world transforms into a nightmare when the lullaby brings forth the ancient demon Lilith. Oona Chaplin (Avatar franchise) and Ramón Rodríguez (The Affair) lead the cast, which also includes Liane Balaban (You Can Live Forever), Kira Guloien (Women Talking) and Moni Ogunsuyi (The Umbrella Academy).

Related Story ‘Candy Land’ Horror-Thriller From ‘Ida Red’ Team Acquired By Quiver Distribution Related Story Vertical Entertainment Acquires Shailene Woodley Thriller 'Misanthrope' Marking 'Wild Tales' Helmer Damián Szifron's First English-Language Feature Related Story Vertical Entertainment...

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has picked up U.S. rights to Misanthrope, a psychological thriller marking the first English-feature from BAFTA-winning Argentinian director Damián Szifron (Wild Tales). The indie distributor has slated the film starring Emmy nominee Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies), Emmy winner Ben Mendelsohn (The Outsider) and Emmy nominee Jovan Adepo (Babylon) for release exclusively in theaters nationwide in the first half of 2023.

The film written by Szifron and Jonathan Wakeham picks up in Baltimore on New Year’s Eve, as a talented but troubled police officer (Woodley) is recruited by the FBI’s chief investigator (Mendelsohn) to help profile and track down a mass murderer.

Related Story Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires Swedish Oscar Entry ‘Cairo Conspiracy’ For North America Related Story Vertical Entertainment Appoints Francois Martin To New Role Of Senior Vice President, Content Partnerships Related Story Vertical Entertainment Acquires Multi-Generational Rom-Com 'Maybe I Do' Starring Diane Keaton,...

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has appointed former Aviron and The Weinstein Company executive Francois Martin to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Content Partnerships.

Martin will now be responsible for leading and expanding the indie distributor’s content sales presence across all platforms. He’s already assumed the post and will report going forward to Vertical Partners Peter Jarowey and Rich Goldberg.

Martin began his career in Miramax’s marketing department, transitioning to The Weinstein Company upon its founding in 2005. His decade-plus spent at that then-prestigious studio saw him rise through the ranks from Senior Director, Marketing to President, Marketing Strategy for both TWC and the Miramax label, Dimension Films.

The exec has previously worked on marketing campaigns for such notable films as Kill Bill, Chicago, Spy Kids, Scary Movie, Lee Daniel’s The Butler, Django Unchained, Inglorious Basterds, The King’s Speech, Paddington and Silver Linings Playbook, among others.

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the multi-generational romantic comedy Maybe I Do, starring Diane Keaton (Mack & Rita), Richard Gere (Arbitrage), Susan Sarandon (Monarch), William H. Macy (The Conners), Emma Roberts (About Fate) and Luke Bracey (Elvis), from the global film and television studio Fifth Season, formerly known as Endeavor Content.

The first feature written and directed by Oscar nominee Michael Jacobs (Quiz Show) will be released exclusively in theaters nationwide on January 27, 2023.

Maybe I Do follows Michelle (Roberts) and Allen (Bracey), who have reached the point in their relationship where they are considering the next steps and decide to invite their parents to finally meet. The parents already know each other well – really well – leading to distinct and defining opinions about the value of marriage.

Maybe I Do was financed and produced by Fifth Season and marks the latest in a line of successful collaborations between the studio and Vertical,...

Vertical Entertainment has just released the official trailer for the upcoming romantic dramedy, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. The film, which is based on the 2014 bestselling novel of the same name by Gabrielle Zevin, will tell the story of a depressed bookstore owner whose world changes in the blink of an eye when a young child is left at his shop. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is directed by Hans Canosa from a script by Zevin. The film stars Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale, Christina Hendricks, Blaire Brown, Lauren Stamile, David Arquette, and Scott Foley.

Fandom is multifaceted, and each of these 10 novels has a unique take on how pop culture shapes our lives. There’s a ’90s classic about digital D&d alongside a contemporary account of game designers from the Oregon Trail generation. Historical fiction set during comics’ Golden and Bronze Ages gives way to a cautionary tale about superheroes’ collateral damage. And while cons can be the setting for geeky romance meet-cutes, they can also be the site of Misery-inspired thrillers.

Whether you’re at San Diego Comic-Con or staying home this year, these books will conjure up the lines, cosplay, and con friendships…

Fangirl

Rainbow Rowell (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Every millennial who first explored the internet through fanfiction needs this charming coming-of-age tale about college freshman Cath, worshipped online for her Simon Snow stories but horribly awkward Irl compared to her twin and former co-author Wren. Rainbow Rowell...

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Which Brings Me to You, the upcoming romantic comedy featuring Ragdoll and Truth or Dare star Lucy Hale, has closed multiple international deals following its pitch to global buyers at last month’s Cannes International Film Market.

Mister Smith Entertainment, which is handling world sales on the project, said Which Brings Me To You has pre-sold to Signature Entertainment for the U.K., Leonine for Germany, Snd for France, Ascot Elite for Switzerland and Rialto for Australia/New Zealand. Mister Smith is in negotiations for the remaining global territories.

Which Brings Me to You will see Hale re-team with her The Hating Game director Peter Hutchings, playing a freelance journalist who hooks up with a photographer at a mutual friend’s wedding. But when the pair sneak off to a coat room, instead of a quickie one-night stand, they spend the next 24 hours...

Exclusive: Bcdf Pictures has acquired film rights to Elena Armas’ 2022 New York Times bestseller The Spanish Love Deception, tapping Peter Hutchings (The Hating Game) to adapt it for the big screen.

The romantic comedy from Simon & Schuster is the first installment in a series of the same name. It tells the story of Catalina Martín, who desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding in Spain. Especially since she lied and told her large, raucous family that she has a new American boyfriend. Now everyone expects her to bring him, including the ex who drove Catalina to leave Spain in the first place. Enter Aaron Blackford – her tall, handsome, insufferably condescending colleague – who surprisingly offers to step in.

The Spanish Love Deception has been published in over 25 languages. The book won the Goodreads Choice Award for Debut Novel of the Year, and has become a phenomenon on TikTok, boasting...

Exclusive: Bcdf Pictures and Frolic Media are set to produce a feature adaptation of New York Times best-selling author Tessa Bailey’s bestselling romantic comedy novel It Happened One Summer.

The book is the first installment in Bailey’s #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling Bellinger Sisters series. It has also been a TikTok sensation with a hashtag with over 35 million views. Christina Mengert (The Hating Game) and Joseph Muszynski (The Unhoneymooners) have adapted the book. Bcdf’s Claude Dal Farra and Brian Keady will produce alongside Lisa Berger from Frolic.

It Happened One Summer follows a Hollywood ‘It Girl,’ who is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong. The story turns the classic ‘It Girl’ trope on its head as fun and fashionable socialite Piper...

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Hans Canosa’s film, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, from international sales agent Mister Smith Entertainment. Currently in post-production, the film is slated for release in theaters this fall.

The dramedy is based on Gabrielle Zevin’s bestseller of the same name, which has sold over five million copies worldwide. It tells the story of bookstore owner A.J. Fikry (Kunal Nayyar), who is struggling to navigate a life that is far from what he expected it to be, as he is feeling left behind by a rapidly evolving world. After his wife’s death in a tragic accident, Fikry’s store hits a financial low point, with sales at abysmal levels. Driven to drinking his sorrows away, Fikry hits rock bottom when his most prized possession, a series of Edgar Allen Poe poems, are stolen. But when a mysterious package arrives,...

Exclusive: Mia Sinclair Jenness (Arcane) will star alongside Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale, Christina Hendricks, David Arquette and Scott Foley in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, an adaptation of Gabrielle Zevin’s New York Times bestselling novel, which is currently in production in Cape Cod.

The film directed by Hans Canosa follows the titular A.J. Fikry (Nayyar), whose life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare edition of Poe poems, has been stolen. Over time, he has given up on people, and even the books in his store, instead of offering solace, are yet another reminder of a world that is changing too rapidly. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over and see things anew.

Previously announced cast are Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale, and Christina Hendricks.

David Arquette and Scott Foley have joined the cast of Hans Canosa’s The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, with principal photography beginning in the US later this month. The UK’s Mister Smith Entertainment is handling sales.

The film is adapted from Gabrielle Zevin’s novel of the same name. It follows the misfortunes of widower of A.J. Fikry, who is also struggling with running a failing bookstore, but is given a new lease of life when a mysterious package arrives on his doorstep. Zevin has also written the screenplay.

David Arquette (You Cannot Kill David Arquette) and Scott Foley (Scandal) are joining the previously announced Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale and Christina Hendricks in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, which is now shooting in Cape Cod.

Gabrielle Zevin has adapted her own New York Times bestselling novel for the film, which is being helmed by Hans Canosa.

The story follows the titular A.J. Fikry (Nayyar), whose life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare edition of Poe poems, has been stolen. Over time, he has given up on people, and even the books in his store, instead of offering solace, are yet another reminder of a world that is changing too rapidly. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected...

David Arquette and Scott Foley are joining Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale and Christina Hendricks in the film “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.” The charming and comical story of redemption, adapted by author Gabrielle Zevin from her own New York Times best-selling novel, begins shooting this month in the U.S. in Cape Cod.

Hans Canosa is directing from Zevin’s novel, which has sold over five million copies and been translated into 38 languages. Bcdf Pictures’ Claude Dal Farra and Brian Keady are producing alongside Kelsey Law, Canosa and Zevin. Bcdf’s Brice Dal Farra, Nayyar, Hale and Hendricks are executive producers. Mister Smith Entertainment is handling sales on the film.

The life of A.J. Fikry (Nayyar) is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare edition of Poe poems,...

Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale and Christina Hendricks are set to star in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, an adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel by Gabrielle Zevin. Hans Canosa will direct from Zevin’s adaptation of her own novel and David Garrett’s Mister Smith Entertainment will be shopping the project to buyers at the upcoming Cannes Virtual Market next week.

The comical love story follows the story of A.J. Fikry (Nayyar), whose life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history and now his prized possession, a rare edition of Poe poems, has been stolen. He’s given up on people and even the books in his store offer another reminder that the world is changing too rapidly. But when a mysterious package arrives at the store, it...

Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale, Christina Hendricks are set to headline “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry,” a big screen makeover of Gabrielle Zevin’s blockbuster New York Times best-selling novel which has shifted five million copies and been translated into 38 languages.

The film rights to Zevin’s most recent novel, “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” recently sold to Paramount for $2 million upfront after an auction between reportedly over 25 bidders.

Hans Canosa will direct “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” from Zevin’s own adaptation. Bcdf Pictures’ Claude Dal Farra and Brian Keady are producing alongside Kelsey Law, Canosa and Zevin.

David Garrett’s Mister Smith Entertainment is launching worldwide sales at next week’s Pre-Cannes Screenings, with principal photography scheduled for this fall.

Exemplifying one major throughline in Mister Smith’s recent sales slate, “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” is not only produced by Bcdf Pictures and based on major IP,...

Hans Canosa to direct adaptation of Gabrielle Zevin’s bestselling novel.

Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale and Christina Hendricks are to star in Hans Canosa’s The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry, which Mister Smith Entertainment will introduce to buyers at the Pre-Cannes Screenings next week.

The feature is an adaptation of Gabrielle Zevin’s eponymous bestselling novel, which has been translated into 38 languages and sold more than five million copies worldwide. Zevin has also written the screenplay for the film, which is set to begin shooting this autumn. Arlie Day and Mike Page are casting the project.

The story centres on A.

Kunal Nayyar, Christina Hendricks, and Lucy Hale have signed on to star in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, another hot project going to the Cannes Virtual Market later this month.

The adaptation of the Gabrielle Zevin bestseller is pitched as a heartwarming rom-com about a cantankerous bookstore owner (The Big Bang Theory‘s Nayyar) who sees his life falling apart after the death of his wife and the slow decline of his business. But his life is transformed when someone leaves a baby at his store.

Zevin, which recently sold the film rights to her upcoming novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, to Paramount ...

Kunal Nayyar, Christina Hendricks, and Lucy Hale have signed on to star in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, another hot project going to the Cannes Virtual Market later this month.

The adaptation of the Gabrielle Zevin bestseller is pitched as a heartwarming rom-com about a cantankerous bookstore owner (The Big Bang Theory‘s Nayyar) who sees his life falling apart after the death of his wife and the slow decline of his business. But his life is transformed when someone leaves a baby at his store.

Zevin, which recently sold the film rights to her upcoming novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, to Paramount ...

Exclusive: Paramount Pictures won a brisk auction to acquire the Gabrielle Zevin novel Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow for $2 million. Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and Isaac Klausner will produce w, and the author will write the script. Movie deal came right after a seven-figure North American rights deal from Knopf last week, in partnership with Penguin Canada. Chatto & Windus preempted the book in the UK 24 hours after it was submitted in London, and translation deals are in the process of being closed around the world. The book will be published sometime in the first half of 2022.

To Motion Pictures Group president Emma Watts, the book fit what Paramount is trying to do, which is to find new voices that will attract A-list filmmakers. The auction was exceptional. There were upwards of 25 offers from TV and film. Several hit the $2 million ceiling for the outright purchase, and it...

Naveen Andrews will star in the whimsical dramedy The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, based on the 2014 best-selling novel by Gabrielle Zevin, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.

The Lost alum will star as A.J. Fikry, a curmudgeonly Massachusetts small-town bookstore owner who withdraws even further from human relationships after his wife dies. The arrival of a mysterious package sets off a series of encounters and events that helps the grumpy widower rediscover the joy in a personal connection.

Zevin has adapted her own screenplay, and her frequent collaborator Hans Canosa will direct. The two will produce alongside Bcdf ...

Naveen Andrews will star in the whimsical dramedy The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, based on the 2013 best-selling novel by Gabrielle Zevin, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.

The Lost alum will star as A.J. Fikry, a curmudgeonly Massachusetts small-town bookstore owner who withdraws even further from human relationships after his wife dies. The arrival of a mysterious package sets off a series of encounters and events that helps the grumpy widower rediscover the joy in a personal connection.

Zevin has adapted her own screenplay, and her frequent collaborator Hans Canosa will direct. The two will produce alongside Claude ...

The screenplay of Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls has been included in the 2013 Hollywood blacklist of screenplays which show the most promise. We think about which book adaptations we would put on our own blacklists, and ask for your ideas...

Send your own book/film blacklist choices to [email protected] or tweet them to @GdnChildrensBks and we'll post them below

Released earlier today, Hollywood's 2013 blacklist features 72 of the most exciting screenplays in circulation this year. It's an annual list, compiled by asking 250 top film executives to name their 10 favourite scripts that have not yet been put into production. Of the ones-to-watch, there was one in particular which stood out to us: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.

It's a heartwrenching, spooky tale of 13-year-old Conor who, living with his terminally ill mum, struggles with recurring nightmares and he tries to come to terms with his mother's cancer diagnosis.

Yesterday, David Levithan told us that he doesn’t think people finish reading The Hunger Games and immediately want to pick up another dystopian novel. Well, we agree that we like to space these dark books out a bit, but they are addictive. And once a month or so, we’ve been picking up a new one. If you’re just starting to be obsessed, begin with the books we talked about during this Dystopian Week, especially with NextMovie.com’s list of books with movies in the works, then scroll back through Hollywood Crush’s first Dystopian Week suggestions from back in April. Here are some that we haven’t read yet but are next on our own to-read list.

Birthmarked, by Caragh M. O’Brien: In this version of the future, the world is divided between people who live inside the Enclave, and the unfortunate who live outside its walls.

Based on a 2007 novel by Gabrielle Zevin which struck a chord with teens, the film version of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (Dareka ga Watashi ni Kiss wo Shita) is quite unique among adaptations of popular books in that its a Japan/Us co-production and therefore has been contorted in various ways to fit a new setting and culture. Certain plot elements were added and others were ditched in the process, but the overarching story remains the same even if certain nuances have been lost in translation. While the book was, above all else, an exploration of identity and its relation to growing up, the film version plays more like veritable catnip for any teenage girls harboring a center-of-attention fantasy.

It’s a plot setup that’s been rehashed countless times: have a seemingly average teenage girl—preferably someone likable and non-threatening enough to be a stand-in for the female...

Based on a 2007 novel by Gabrielle Zevin which struck a chord with teens, the film version of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (Dareka ga Watashi ni Kiss wo Shita) is quite unique among adaptations of popular books in that its a Japan/Us co-production and therefore has been contorted in various ways to fit a new setting and culture. Certain plot elements were added and others were ditched in the process, but the overarching story remains the same even if certain nuances have been lost in translation. While the book was, above all else, an exploration of identity and its relation to growing up, the film version plays more like veritable catnip for any teenage girls harboring a center-of-attention fantasy.

It’s a plot setup that’s been rehashed countless times: have a seemingly average teenage girl—preferably someone likable and non-threatening enough to be a stand-in for the female...

A quote from Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” may seem like a strange way to start a novel chronicling the struggles of a religious middle-class family. But by the time the characters in Gabrielle Zevin’s The Hole We’re In start hearing the pop star’s breakout hit on the radio, the symbolism has become obvious. Their stories both start out promising, and turn into a slow train wreck. Zevin’s second adult novel feels a world apart from her debut, Margarettown, a whimsical, bittersweet fairy tale about a man getting to know his future wife. The Hole ...

• It comes as no surprise that leading this year’s pack of nominees are Little Miss Sunshine and Half Nelson, but this year’s mix of contenders are a mixed breed coming from films that were showcased a little everywhere – including this year’s Sundance. And the 2007 Independent Spirit nominees are...Feature (Award given to the Producer)"American Gun," Ted Kroeber, producer"The Dead Girl," Tom Rosenberg, Henry Winterstern, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright, Eric Karten, Kevin Turen, producers"Half Nelson," Jamie Patricof, Alex Orlovsky, Lynette Howell, Anna Boden, Rosanne Korenberg, producers"Little Miss Sunshine," Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, producers"Pan's Labyrinth," Bertha Navarro, Alfonso Cuaron, Frida Torresblanco, Alvaro Augustin, Guillermo Del Toro, producersFIRST Feature (Award given to the director and producer)"Day Night Day Night," Julia Loktev, director; Julia Loktev, Melanie Judd, Jessica Levin, producers"Man Push Cart," Ramin Bahrani, director; Ramin Bahrani,

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Screened at South by Southwest

As Conversations With Other Women begins, the screen is split in half. One side watches Aaron Eckhart, seemingly in Lothario mode, as he stalks a wedding party guest he intends to approach; the other watches his prey, Helena Bonham Carter.

Nice way to jump into the action, you think: The camera establishes our identification with Eckhart from within (the POV shots) and without; when the image goes full-screen, we'll know who the protagonist is in this pas de deux.

A few minutes later, though, you're still waiting -- and an overtly clever device starts to become a serious distraction from the tale it's trying to tell. Director Hans Canosa continues the split screen throughout the film, often keeping us from identifying with the drama as we otherwise would. Although the technique occasionally serves some interesting purpose, it is almost certain to be a stumbling block with audiences, limiting the commercial appeal of an already intimate film.

The two protagonists are never named, and the script (by Gabrielle Zevin, who worked with Canosa on the festival-circuit film Alma Mater) is coy about their histories. We quickly learn that this is no straightforward pickup: The two have met before, years ago, under similar circumstances. As they flirt, one side of the screen will sometimes flit back to that earlier meeting, where two younger actors play the pair. We see enough to know that they met more than once, maybe that they were lovers. Why is their conversation not acknowledging this?

One obvious reason is to make things more interesting for us. Viewers who don't find the conceit too contrived will be drawn into the reasonably witty banter, forgetting about the split-angle distraction until Canosa does something particularly distracting: settling the cameras into two nearly parallel views, say, or sending an extra to pass between us and the actors, jostling our sense of the angles involved. He does this fairly often.

At other times the filmmakers do more profitable things with the dual frames. They show us what a character is thinking, in romantic flashback or quick slices of foreshadowing; late in the game, as the pair begin to make decisions with consequences, they use the extra screen to show alternate line readings, roads considered and not taken. Those glimpses become freighted with melancholy as the tale becomes a reflection on the passing of time and the vicissitudes of love. Both performances are strong, though the film continues to favor Eckhart, who may be harboring deep emotions beneath his glib charm.

Eckhart grows alternately peevish and desperate as things don't go his way. Bonham Carter, on the other hand, seems to allow herself to be led around, more preoccupied with a sudden sense of her age than with her old flame. The characters are not completely convincing as scripted, but the actors skate past this with enough charisma that we don't pause to ask questions. (Why is Bonham Carter at the wedding, for example? The explanation offered in the opening scenes becomes less satisfactory the more we learn.)

That the movie holds viewers' attention despite its contrivances is a testament to the script and acting. Whether audiences will respect the film the morning after the seduction is an open question.

CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN

Fabrication Films

Gordonstreet Pictures

Credits:

Director: Hans Canosa

Screenwriter: Gabrielle Zevin

Producers: Ram Bergman, Bill McCutchen, Kerry Barden

Executive producers: Kwesi Collisson, Mark R. Harris, Kjehl Rasmussen, Glen Reynolds

Director of photography: Steve Yedlin

Production designer: Jodie Lynn Tillen

Music: Chris Violette, Starr Parodi, Jeff Eden Fair

Co-producers: Wendy Reeds, Mark Tchelistcheff

Costumes: Douglas Hall

Editor: Hans Canosa

Cast:

Woman: Helena Bonham Carter

Man: Aaron Eckhart

Young Woman: Nora Zehetner

Young Man: Erik Eidem

Videographer: Thomas Lennon

Bridesmaid: Olivia Wilde

No MPAA rating

Running time -- 84 minutes...