The Dennis Lehane novel adaptation train just keeps chugging along. This time Sam Raimi is the director climbing on board. Raimi and Columbia will be reteaming to adapt Lehane’s next novel “The Given Day” which Columbia has already acquired the rights to although the book doesn’t hit shelves until September 23.
Sam Raimi, of course, directed the three Spider-Man flicks for Columbia and is eying a fourth one that is being written by James Vanderbilt. Raimi is also aligned to reinvent the Jack Ryan franchise at Paramount.
Books by the ever increasingly popular author, Dennis Lehane, can’t seem to be adapted fast enough after a string of successful and critically acclaimed (and soon to be critically acclaimed) film adaptations have put the author on the map. Clint Eastwood directed Mystic River, while Ben Affleck made his directing debut on Gone Baby Gone. Martin Scorsese has nearly completed production on Shutter Island with Leonardo DiCaprio in the starring role.
“The Given Day” is set in 1919 Boston, with the city in turmoil as soldiers are returning home from WWI, having brought back an epidemic of Spanish influenza. Attempts to unionize the police department have set the stage for a historic strike and two cops take center stage. “While it deals with many of the same themes as (Lehane’s) earlier work, it is also his most ambitious book, tying events of a century ago to the subjects we struggle with today,” Raimi said.
No timeline for the adaptation was given.
Awesome – I love Raimi's work. I wonder if Bruce Campbell will be in it since Raimi tries to get him a cameo in most of the projects he directs…
I saw Mystic River and thought it was fantastic. I have yet to watch Gone Baby Gone, but heard that it was good as well. Anything by Scorsese is gold and Raimi is starting to etch his mark as a top-notch director. I'll go out on a limb and say that this might be Raimi's finest movie to date.
Gone Baby Gone was one of my favorite movies from last year. This should definitely be a good book and a good film.
I haven't read any of his works. Unfortunately school keeps my reading tied up in textbooks and class assigned readings so I haven't had the luxury of reading much of anything outside of that for awhile.
Shutter Island was amazing…I'd start with that one.
I'll see if I can fit it in – thanks for the tip.
I almost bought it at the bookstore last weekend but I decided not to. I guess I should have.
I wrote a review for it back in November:
http://www.popcritics.com/2007/11/book-review-s...
Yeah, I remember the review. But I was buying The Road at the same time and it was higher on my list so I decided not to get Shutter Island at the time. But I finished The Road (review coming, I hope) in only a few days so I probably could have already started on it.
Shutter Island has one of the best endings to a book I've ever read, so it's so very worth it.