It has been recently discussed around the Internet that Peter Jackson‘s next film, following King Kong, is going to be The Lovely Bones, based on the Alice Sebold novel of the same name. Well, news has now come in that Peter Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh will be putting up their own money for the film rights completely excluding studios from the financing on the film allowing Jackson the ability to operate without a studio deadline.
Variety reports that the rights were acquired from FilmFour, the movie arm of British broadcaster Channel 4, which will still serve as Jackson and Walsh’s partner in developing the project.
“The Lovely Bones” opens with the revelation that 14-year old narrator and main character Susie Salmon was raped and murdered. From heaven, she watches how the people left behind handle her tragedy.
“It’s the best kind of fantasy in that it has a lot to say about the real world,” Jackson told Variety. “You have an experience when you read the book that is unlike any other. I don’t want the tone or the mood to be different or lost in the film.”
Unfortunately, the imaginary windows opened by a book are not as clearly defined on the page as Jackson may have wished and he even admits, the most perplexing problem is how to convey Susie in heaven.
It seems this one may turn out to be Jackson’s baby, even more important and close to his heart than the Rings trilogy, if that is possible. Then again, when it is all your money riding on it, and it is a project you are passionate about, I think we can all relate.
While the film is a longtime in the coming to the big screen you may want to get ahead of things by reading the Sebold novel for yourself. To check it out at Amazon click here.
