Magical trends just never end! According to Variety, Walden Media has hired Karen Janszen to adapt Ingrid Law's book Savvy, which only just hit bookstores a few months ago. The rights have been optioned at least that long, but it looks like Walden is really racing it into production.

Savvy follows a family called the Beaumonts, who all boast remarkable superpowers. The hero of the story is young Mibs, who is quickly approaching her thirteenth birthday and the discovery of her own superpower or "savvy." Unfortunately for the Beaumonts, disaster strikes right on the fateful day, and Mibs finds herself in the midst of an adventure, where she will have to try to hide her new "savvy" when it makes itself known.
It sounds like The Incredibles, with a dash of Harry Potter and X-Men for color.

Interestingly, the story behind Savvy's publication is reminiscent of J.K. Rowling's. Law hails from my home state of Colorado, and all kinds of press outlets are making much of the fact that she resides in a mobile home with her daughter. That's not a bad thing! My grandma lived in one, and I have very fond memories of it. Anyway, if the success of Savvy has allowed her to move on to a grander home, that's cool, and I wish my fellow Rockies resident continued fortune.

If you're interested in reading the book for free, Penguin has released it online. Unfortunately, this freebie ends today, so I hope you're a fast reader. And if you've read it already, please sound off on its movie potential below!

Cinematical has just received this exclusive teaser poster for City of Ember (click to enlarge), due out this October 10th courtesy of 20th Century Fox and Walden Media. Based on the best-selling novel from Jeanne Duprau, City of Ember was written by Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands) and directed by the very talented Gil Kenan (Monster House). Oh, but the talent doesn't stop there -- check out this cast: Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan, Tim Robbins, Martin Landau, Toby Jones and Harry Treadaway. And did I mention it was produced by Tom Hanks?

And here's a synopsis for ya: "For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights - underground. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing . . . and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker. Now, two teenagers in a race against time, must search Ember for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of the city's existence, and help the citizens escape before the lights go out forever."

Early buzz tells us the film looks gorgeous, so that's definitely a good sign. We've also been told that the first trailer for City of Ember will debut in front of Prince Caspian this weekend. (Chalk up another reason to hang with those peeps over in Narnia.) Once again, City of Ember arrives in theaters on October 10th.

So who's excited for this one?

The director who gave us D2: The Mighty Ducks (aka The Mighty Ducks 2) is set to make another sports movie. But this one doesn't seem to be as comedic, and it doesn't deal with hockey. Instead, it's yet another uplifting basketball movie focusing on a team of bad news players who become champions. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sam Weisman is reuniting with D2 producer Jordan Kerner to make the movie, which is titled The Miracle of St. Anthony.

Based on sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski's 2005 book, the movie will be about a year in the life of Jersey City high school basketball coach Bob Hurley, Sr. -- father of former Duke point guard, and Sacramento Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies pro Bobby Hurley (who also appears in the basketball film Blue Chips). In more than 30 years as head coach at St. Anthony, a small Catholic school that educates children from extremely poor families, Hurley, Sr., has won 22 state titles. Yet at the beginning of the 2003-04 season, he had mostly players who weren't motivated or focused. I'm sure I'm not spoiling anything by saying that the team shapes up and goes on to great success.

Sure, it is easy to knock this movie as being more of the same as far as sports movies go, but Hurley's story is probably very interesting and could probably make a good film. However, it's much more fair to direct the project's potential problems to Weisman, who is certainly not the guy to make this into a great film. Since D2, he has directed such crap as Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, George of the Jungle and the terribly unnecessary Out-of-Towners remake (sorry Giuliani supporters who like a good Rudy cameo). To quote the title of another of Weisman's misfires, What's the Worst That Could Happen? Well, of course, the worst is that Weisman could make the lamest, most cliched, most generic basketball movie ever, but then, that probably isn't much different from the best that could happen. Am I being harsh? Maybe, but despite the fact that audiences like the familiarity of these uplifting sports movies, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say they'd at least like something fresh to go along with the stale. The Miracle of St. Anthony has been adapted by Josh Shelov, who wrote the screenplay for Hooligans, a fairly well-received soccer movie.

It kinda makes sense for special effects artists to become movie directors. After all, so many movies these days are shot on sound stages in front of green screens. The artists presumably know more about what certain shots will look like in the computer, so they might as well be in control from the beginning. Of course, we've seen how bad some effects gurus can be at directing: Stefan Fangmeier (Eragon); Phil Tippett (Starship Troopers 2). It isn't a given, though, that they'll be bad. Joe Johnston is an example of someone who is capable of decent filmmaking (Jurassic Park III; Honey I Shrunk the Kids -- but also Jumanji) and a lot of us are optimistic about Colin and Greg Strause's work on the upcoming Aliens vs. Predator (aka AVP2).

The latest effects guy to make a go at directing is Rpin Suwannath (The Matrix Revolutions), who will be helming The Lotus Caves for Walden Media. Suwannath isn't completely new to the task. He has already directed green screen scenes for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and he's currently directing the third unit for its sequel, Prince Caspian. He also did some second unit stuff for Superman Returns. So, he's got some experience. But does that mean he needs to make the career change, especially when he's one of the highest regarded pre-visualization experts in his field? Well, hopefully he isn't abandoning his day job just yet, and surely he'll be applying his previs techniques to The Lotus Caves.

Suwannath's directorial debut will be based on the 1970s young adult novel by John Christopher and it will have to be very effects-heavy. Set on a moon colony in 2068, The Lotus Caves is a sci-fi thriller about two teens who break out of the airtight bubble lunar city to go exploring. While I'm not sure how easy it would be for rebellious teens to wander off a moon base and go for a joy ride in a moon buggy, some of the out-of-print novel's fans (writing on Amazon) make the story seem smarter and deeper than it sounds.

Walden Media has a great reputation for turning young readers books into quality family films. First there was Holes, with then-relatively-unknown Shia LaBeouf. Since then, there's been Because of Winn-Dixie, The Chronicles of Narnia series, Charlotte's Web and Bridge to Terabitha. Sometimes the company makes less memorable adaptations, like Hoot and How to Eat Fried Worms, but mostly it has a good track record. I think it is safe to be optimistic about any kids' book they decide to turn into a movie. The latest they've announced is Savvy, a not-yet published novel by Ingrid Law. The book, which was picked up through a partnership Walden has with Penguin Young Readers Group, will hit stores next May. Although this will be Law's first physically published novel, she had previously authored and illustrated two e-books, "The Faerie Wedding Tale" and "A Quilt for Uncle Paul."

Savvy will tell of a family in which each member develops supernatural powers when he or she turns 13. However, a tragic accident hits the family right before the latest is about to reach her 13th birthday. I don't know what the accident is, but I'm guessing it involves the death or otherwise elimination of the rest of her family. Basically, I figure the adolescent girl has to figure out how to save the day without having yet gotten her powers. Of course, that sounds less fun. It sounds like Harry Potter having to defeat Voldemort before turning 11, or like the X-Men having to defeat Magneto before reaching puberty/mutant power age, or like Carrie having to deal with the cool kids without telekinesis. I think there are many other examples of characters acquiring super powers about the same time they hit puberty, but you get the picture. For a family film to be successful these days, magic or powers or some type of fantastic element has to be involved.

Here's another true story that was just screaming to be a movie: Frank Gildea returns to college twenty years after dropping out, joins his son Isaac on the school's basketball team and helps to win the team's first conference championship in 27 years. It sounds so cinematically appropriate you'd almost think the father and son had Hollywood in mind when making their life choices. Whatever the intentions, the duo has apparently sold the rights to their story to Walden Media (Amazing Grace), which will be producing, along with Mayhem Pictures, for 20th Century Fox. Brad Gann, who wrote the similarly against-the-odds sports movie Invincible, is currently at work on the screenplay.

If the story does seem a little familiar, you have probably seen one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures, Back to School. In that comedy Rodney Dangerfield plays a man who enrolls in the college that his son attends and the two end up on the diving team together. The only real difference is that, unlike Dangerfield's character, Frank Gildea had already been to college. Oh, and basketball is typically more cinematic than diving. But really this movie isn't likely to be too comparable with Back to School. In its tone and in its demographic interests, it should share more in common with The Rookie, which features Dennis Quaid as a middle-aged man who returns to a career in minor league baseball. That film was also produced by Mayhem Pictures, which also made Invincible and Miracle and is currently at work on a Secretariat movie.

At the risk of sounding -- I don't know -- cynical, I have to say I'm a little surprised to read this article in The Hollywood Reporter. Apparently, horror master Clive Barker is partnering with Walden Media, who are primarily known for kid-friendly fare like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the upcoming Charlotte's Web, to develop an original thriller for kids centered around Edgar Allen Poe. Although, I guess I shouldn't really be surprised considering Barker has actually done some other projects for kids before, such as the books The Thief of Always and his recent fantasy series The Books of Abarat -- both of which are also currently being developed as films.

Still, most of my experiences with Barker come from watching his films, not from reading his books. Perhaps I'm in the minority but I don't exactly consider Candyman, Nightbreed or Hellraiser suitable for kids -- although I'm sure Pinhead would make an excellent babysitter. Well, I guess everyone deserves a chance to change and try different things, so I can't really fault Barker for wanting to stretch with this new project. That said, what's his reason for wanting to tell this kind of story? "I think we might have a chance with this project to bring the character of Poe alive for a new audience and weave his shadowy existence into the dark enchantments of his stories so that for our protagonist, and for our audience, it will be difficult to be sure where one finishes and the other takes flight," Barker said.

And what about my concerns regarding the blood, violence and other explicit scenes that are usually a large part of the Clive Barker "experience"? "This project is an opportunity for us to reimagine a genre that is generally associated with an older audience," Alex Schwartz, exec vp of production at Walden media said. "By focusing on mood and atmosphere rather than blood and guts, Clive Barker brings a smart, literate take on the horror genre that will expose young audiences to its great literary underpinnings." Ok, I'll buy that.

The as-yet untitled film will revolve around a group of teenagers who attempt to uncover what happened during the last weeks of Edgar Allen Poe's life. Unfortunately, their investigation inadvertently triggers a curse that unlocks Poe's nightmares from which the teenagers must escape. Barker will also produce the film through his Seraphim Films' with Anthony DiBlasi and Joseph Daley exec producing. No word yet on casting or a potential start date. What do you guys think? Can Barker make the transition from horror to kid's films, or should he stick to what he does best?

Walden Media is taking a break from the "turn books into movies" business to develop a project of their own. The project doesn't have a solid working title yet, but the general idea of the plot centers around a young teenage kid who discovers he is a descendant of the famous Harry Houdini. This leads him on a discovery quest in an attempt to learn the (often secretive) story of Houdini's past. Walden is still looking for a screenwriter (brush up your resumes, guys) but they have attached a director to the project -- Mark Waters, of Mean Girls fame.
If I were to admit to a guilty pleasure as a geek beat writer, it would certainly be kid flicks/family films. While I generally view, enjoy, and write about films with titles like Sin City which are packed full of non-family friendly goodness, I also really enjoy a nice little PG flick with fun, simple characters and a happy ending. I know, weird, right? One of my favorite movies in the recent past was Curious George. In the same vein, I've been thoroughly geeked out for the upcoming Happy Feet. There isn't enough information about this Houdini movie yet (obviously, since a script hasn't even been written), but I think it has good kid-flick potential. Stick around, Cinematical will be sure to bring you plot/casting updates if and when they happen.

Walden Media is chugging along in their efforts to bring Susan Cooper's excellent young adult fantasy The Dark is Rising to the big screen. They announced today that they have hired David Cunningham to direct the film, straight off of his controversial The Path to 9/11 television movie. The film had previously been in development by Jim Henson Pictures, going as far back as 1997, although Walden acquired the rights to the five-part series in May of 2005.

Cunningham is a talented director, but has yet to prove himself in features. Additionally, most of his credits come from documentary work, or from adaptations of true stories. Before 9/11 he directed the miniseries version of Little House on the Prairie , and his next film is a documentary about urban explorers called After ..., which is about people who sneak into "the planet's most dangerous man-made structures, just because they can." Hopefully he can make the leap into fantasy from the real world he's so used to covering.

I read The Dark is Rising when I was just starting junior high school, and it set the bar for all of the fantasy books I read afterwards. Cooper's Rising series is very dark (no pun intended), and focuses on young Will Stanton who finds out on his eleventh birthday that he must take on the Dark by himself, while looking for and gathering six different Signs of the Light. This isn't a Harry Potter book, which would be considered light and cheerful by comparison, but it is extremely rich in story and detail, especially for a book meant for young readers.

This also shows just how far the success of The Lord of the Rings has swung the gate open for the fantasy genre. Since then studios have acquired and greenlit book adaptations like Eragon, His Dark Materials, The Chronicles of Narnia (which had been in development for a long time, but the success of LOTR helped serve as a catalyst), and others are sure to follow. It's a great time to be a fantasy fan, as long as the adaptations can stand up to the rich source material.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of The Dark is Rising at your local bookstore or library and read it before the movie comes out. Hopefully you'll enjoy the story in both forms.

Walden Media is an incredibly busy (do a search for "Walden" here and you'll see what I mean), generally successful producer of films aimed at the youth market -- everything they make is rated either G or PG, and most of their films make money. Now that their first-look deal with Disney has expired, Walden has been working with a variety of studios on the distribution and marketing of their films, though the company's Disney connection is still strong, as evidence by the fact that Disney will handle the upcoming Narnia films. Apart from those films and Charlotte's Web (set up with Paramount), however, everything from Walden will now be distributed by Fox, thanks to a new agreement between the studios.

Though no one new will be hired, a joint company in charge of marketing will be developed; all production matters remains under Walden control, and distribution stays at Fox. Among the films affected by this deal are the wonderfully-named Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Say that out loud and tell me your day didn't get a little bit better.), The Dark Is Rising and City of Ember from Monster House director Gil Kenan.