Exclusive: After spending the last eight years as Director of Development for Sony Pictures in New York, Mark James is leaving that post. On April 2, he’ll launch James Literary Consulting, a book-to-film scouting company. James has been a sharp exec for Sony, responsible for finding and championing books for features. Among the books he identified early and helped shepherd are Julie & Julia, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and the Michael Grant novel Bzrk, which the studio bought for Josh Donen to produce. James will begin his venture scouting for two clients: Columbia Pictures and Michaels-Goldwyn, the production partnership between Lorne Michaels and John Goldwyn. James had experience with them when he was an executive in the Paramount Pictures New York office for four years, helping steer such books to that studio as Twilight Saga and Sahara. Before that, James worked for Deb Schindler and for Julia Roberts’ Gotham-based companies.
- 3/13/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
How is this for an interesting premise? A team of gifted teens control biological nanobot robots warriors and they battle another group that is controlled by megalomaniacal conjoined twins whose nanobots are brainwashing world leaders and trying to take over the world.
That is the basic plot of Michael Grant‘s book, Bzrk. Deadline is reporting that screenwriter Michael Ross (Turistas) has been hired by Sony Pictures to adapt Grant’s novel for the big-screen. The film will be produced by Sam Raimi and Josh Donen.
See larger image Bzrk (Hardcover) By (author) Michael Grant
List Price: $17.99 Usd New From: $6.95 In Stock Used from: $3.61 In Stock Release date February 28, 2012.
No production or release dates have been announced for Bzrk.
That is the basic plot of Michael Grant‘s book, Bzrk. Deadline is reporting that screenwriter Michael Ross (Turistas) has been hired by Sony Pictures to adapt Grant’s novel for the big-screen. The film will be produced by Sam Raimi and Josh Donen.
See larger image Bzrk (Hardcover) By (author) Michael Grant
List Price: $17.99 Usd New From: $6.95 In Stock Used from: $3.61 In Stock Release date February 28, 2012.
No production or release dates have been announced for Bzrk.
- 7/26/2012
- by Jason Moore
- ScifiMafia
Michael Ross (Turistas) has been hired to script the Sam Raimi produced adaptation of the novel Bzrk. This is the first book in a trilogy written by Michael Grant, and Sony Pictures acquired the rights to the book last year.
This story actually sounds very cool. It follows "a team of gifted teens control biological nanobot robots warriors and they battle another group that is controlled by conjoined twins whose nanobots are brainwashing world leaders. The megalomaniacal twins are trying to take over the world."
I'm not really that familiar with Ross' work; I never saw Turistas because it didn't look like a good movie. But I'm looking forward to this one--hell, I look forward to anything that Raimi has a hand in. The guy likes what we like, so if he thinks this is going to make a cool movie then it probably will be.
Here's a description from...
This story actually sounds very cool. It follows "a team of gifted teens control biological nanobot robots warriors and they battle another group that is controlled by conjoined twins whose nanobots are brainwashing world leaders. The megalomaniacal twins are trying to take over the world."
I'm not really that familiar with Ross' work; I never saw Turistas because it didn't look like a good movie. But I'm looking forward to this one--hell, I look forward to anything that Raimi has a hand in. The guy likes what we like, so if he thinks this is going to make a cool movie then it probably will be.
Here's a description from...
- 7/26/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Michael Ross ("Turistas") will pen a film adaptation of Michael Grant's novel "Bzrk" for Sony Pictures reports Deadline.
The first in a trilogy, the story is set in the near future where a pair of conjoined twins set out to turn the world into their vision of utopia. Opposing them is a guerrilla group of teens who are fighting to protect the right to be human.
The battleground is the human brain with the weapons and fighting occurring on the nano-level. Sam Raimi and Josh Donen will produce.
The first in a trilogy, the story is set in the near future where a pair of conjoined twins set out to turn the world into their vision of utopia. Opposing them is a guerrilla group of teens who are fighting to protect the right to be human.
The battleground is the human brain with the weapons and fighting occurring on the nano-level. Sam Raimi and Josh Donen will produce.
- 7/26/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
As networks and movie studios try more and more to take old brands and rework them, they’ve found it profitable to do prequels or sequels or, as the current flavor of word parsing, re-imaging. Which is what is happening with Dracula (though Universal, which will coproduce, does own Bram Stoker’s Dracula) as NBC has given a 10 episode order new version of classic tale. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, late of The Tudors, will play the famed vampire as he arrives in London in hopes of wreaking havoc on the Victorian society that centuries ago “ruined his life.” However, his quest for revenge hits a snag when he falls for a woman who appears to be the second coming of his long-deceased wife (though Dark Shadows explored this 45 years ago). The script is by co-executive producer Cole Haddon. It will be executive produced by 24’s Tony Krantz, HBO films Cloin Callender...
- 7/25/2012
- by spaced-odyssey
- doorQ.com
Given the current quest by all the studios to nail down the next big young adult book series as a possible source material for movies, it’s no surprise to see Sony targeting Michael Grant and his Shadow Gang organisation. The author has been behind popular books such as Gone and sold the first of his new trilogy, Bzrk, to the studio last autumn. Now Michael Arlen Ross is aboard to adapt it for Sam Raimi to produce.Bzrk takes place in a world where gifted teenagers control biological nanobot robot warriors. They’re a necessary part of life, as they have to combat the threat from a similar group of biotech ‘bots controlled by conjoined twins who have been busy brainwashing world leaders.It all sounds like it could make for an intriguing story, and the trilogy aspect means there’s material for more movies if the first one hits.
- 7/25/2012
- EmpireOnline
Despite this week’s The Watch being a likely hit — all the better that it looks funny — Vince Vaughn will step outside that typical, comfortable parameter with a new outing. (Unless you hold Gus Van Sant‘s Psycho or Domestic Disturbance as benchmarks of his career.) Deadline reports that his Wild West Picture Show Productions are partnering with Universal on The Risk Agent, an international thriller that will see him in the field of action. For the sake of courtesy, please stifle your laughter.
Ridley Pearson‘s novel, from which they’ll be working, centers on two employees of Rutherford Risk, an extraction company hired, in this case, to retrieve a kidnapped Chinese national and his security guard. The two agents sent out into the field — Grace Chu, “a female forensic accountant who follows the money,” and John Knox, an agent who has “combat and culture” to his advantage — dig...
Ridley Pearson‘s novel, from which they’ll be working, centers on two employees of Rutherford Risk, an extraction company hired, in this case, to retrieve a kidnapped Chinese national and his security guard. The two agents sent out into the field — Grace Chu, “a female forensic accountant who follows the money,” and John Knox, an agent who has “combat and culture” to his advantage — dig...
- 7/25/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Michael Ross will adapt Bzrk, the novel by Michael Grant and Shadow Gang, into a feature film for Sony Pictures and producers Sam Raimi and Josh Donen. Acquired last fall, Bzrk is the first in a three-book series by Grant, who previously wrote Gone and co-created the Animorphs series. Bzrk is a youth oriented tale with an ambitious premise. A team of gifted teens control biological nanobot robots warriors and they battle another group that is controlled by conjoined twins whose nanobots are brainwashing world leaders. The megalomaniacal twins are trying to take over the world. Ross previously wrote Turistas, the thriller directed by John Stockwell. He also recently did a rewrite on Robin Hood 2058 and scripted I Owe You, an original screenplay for Media Rights Capital, which Jacob Estes is attached to direct. Russell Hollander is executive producer. Grant and Ross are repped by CAA, Ross also by Management 360.
- 7/25/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
The Shadow Gang's Bzrk The Game will be releasing within the next week, and it is one title that is sure to make your skin crawl! The game is a psychological thriller based off the novel by Michael Grant of the same name. Bzrk The Game is a futuristic tale of a conspiracy to unite humanity through a single hive mind. You will want to check this one out!
From the Press Release
Bzrk The Game is a compelling new 3D mobile adventure game developed as part of the groundbreaking Michael Grant young adult thriller of the same name. Playable as a full standalone game or alongside the wider Bzrk interactive story and novel release, fans will be immediately immersed into a futuristic tale of a shadowy guerrilla group known as Bzrk.
The game picks up just as The Armstrong Fancy Gift Corporation’s conspiracy to unite humanity through...
From the Press Release
Bzrk The Game is a compelling new 3D mobile adventure game developed as part of the groundbreaking Michael Grant young adult thriller of the same name. Playable as a full standalone game or alongside the wider Bzrk interactive story and novel release, fans will be immediately immersed into a futuristic tale of a shadowy guerrilla group known as Bzrk.
The game picks up just as The Armstrong Fancy Gift Corporation’s conspiracy to unite humanity through...
- 2/9/2012
- by Amanda Dyar
- DreadCentral.com
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