Ross Katz Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Book Adaptations: 'End of Eternity', 'Amateur American' & 'Measle and the Wrathmonk'
Filed under: Drama », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Deals », Scripts », Family Films »
What would Hollywood do if there were no books?First up, Variety reports that New Regency has grabbed Isaac Asimov's The End of Eternity for a trip to the big screen. The time travel novel is set in a future where humanity is controlled by a ruling class called Eternity -- a lucky group who can alter history, remove undesirable people, the usual. But then one of the time cops falls for a girl back in time (like Somewhere in Time?)... I imagine we can expect a pretty big visual production with this puppy -- before a writer is chosen, the project is hunting for a director.
Next, The Hollywood Reporter posts that J. Saunders Elmore's debut novel The Amateur American has been picked up by Likely Story. A political thriller, the novel centers on an American expat in France who has a job translating for "a shadowy powerbroker" who "draws him into violent political intrigue, corruption, and murder." I tell ya -- no job is safe these days! Ross Katz will adapt and direct the book, which hits shelves next summer.
Finally, Thor Freudenthal is picking up more family-friendly material, according to Variety. He's going to direct Ian Ogilvy's Measle and the Wrathmonk for Warner Bros. -- a piece that was purchased four years ago. The tale centers on a young kid who gets sent to live with his eccentric uncle, who happens to be a wizard. Gee, is it any surprise that this is part of a trilogy? I wonder if it will come out just as Potter mania wraps up...
Kevin Bacon will be 'Taking Chance'
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Casting », Cinematical Indie », War »
Moving up in the ranks from a grip on Reservoir Dogs to producing big films like In the Bedroom, Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette, Ross Katz is now making his next cinematic move. If he's even half as successful as he is at producing (he's grabbed Oscar noms for both Bedroom and Translation), this latest foray should be successful. He is gearing up to make his directorial debut in the upcoming Taking Chance for HBO Films. Not only that, but he's got everybody's favorite Bacon, Kevin, signed onto the cast.The film is based on the true story of U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobel, and was written by Katz and Strobel. It follows Strobel's "poignant journey as the volunteer military escort officer who is assigned to accompany the body of 19-year-old Lance Corporal Chance Phelps (USMC), who was killed in action in Iraq, across America back to his hometown of Dubois, Wyoming in spring 2004." Now begins the assumptions, since that's all I have. I assume that this Phelps is not part of the infamous family, but his story is free from the Internet. And although indieWire doesn't have his role cast, I imagine that Bacon will play Phelps. If anyone is familiar with the story, please speak up! Inquiring minds want to know.
Mystery Novel 'Strange but True' to be Adapted
Filed under: Drama », Deals », Mystery & Suspense », Scripts »
A very bizarre mystery novel by Cosmopolitan's deputy editor, John Searles, is going to be adapted into a feature film -- Strange but True. Why is it so strange? The novel opens with a young woman named Melissa Moody, who has gone to her ex-boyfriend's family's house to tell them that she is pregnant with their son's child. The twist: both of them were in a bad car accident 5 years earlier, after their prom, and Ronnie had died. All of these years later, she is now miraculously, supposedly pregnant with his child. While his family is skeptical, they wish it to be true and go about trying to solve the mystery. Was it a turkey baster? Is he secretly alive? Is the child the second coming? The Strange script was adapted by the novelist himself, and the project is once again teaming GreeneStreet Films with two-time Oscar-nominated producer Ross Katz. (Who produced two of Sofia Coppola's films -- Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette.) This will be the third collaboration for the team. First, they brought us Todd Field's In the Bedroom, which grabbed Katz his first Academy nomination. Now they are currently working on Adverbs, based on the collection of stories by Lemony Snicket scribe, Daniel Handler, as Jessica Barnes told us about in November. There is no one attached to star in the feature yet -- do you have any suggestions?
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