7 Books That Might Become Your Next Favorite Movie
2017 was an unusual year for the publishing industry. Sales were relatively consistent compared to l..
2017 was an unusual year for the publishing industry. Sales were relatively consistent compared to last year—though books are moving slower this holiday season—but there were no new breakout hits in literary fiction. Instead, attention was on older titles like The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984, which saw an unusual resurgence for the type of books usually relegated to high-school reading lists. (Who could imaginewhy?)
But while it was a slow year for new classics, it was a busy year for film rights, with some books being snatched up even before they were released. The rights to one of next year’s most anticipated thrillers, The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy,were sold to Kerry Washington’s production company a year before the novel’s anticipated May debut. Of course, rights sales don’t necessarily lead to a completed movie; as acclaimed Y.A. author John Green told Variety this year when he sold the rights to his latest, Turtles All the Way Down, “It doesn’t mean there will definitely be a movie. But it means that there might be one. So now’s the time to begin inundating me with casting suggestions.”
This year’s highest-profile acquisitions are the type of smart, entrancing book you’ll want to read before you see the movie. Here are seven of the ones we’re looking forward to most:
Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders (Random House)
The acclaimed short-story writer won the Man Booker Prize with his debut novel, which is about Abraham Lincoln and the spirits that occupy a Civil War-era graveyard. The audiobook was an ambitious undertaking that some compared to a movie, with a cast of 166 well-known actors including Julianne Moore,Don Cheadle, and Susan Sarandon. Husband-and-wife team Megan Mullally and Nick Offermanbought the film rights after reading parts in the audiobook version, and Saunders has said he is looking forward to working with them on an adaptation.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman (Pamela Dorman Books)
The novel tells the story of an agoraphobic Scottish woman who, despite being hilarious, has no friends or family to speak of, and spends most of her time in front of her TV. Reese Witherspoon has optioned the movie, and might also star as the title character. Profoundly lonely Eleanor Oliphant is in many ways the exact opposite of the outgoing character we saw the Oscar winner play in Big Little Lies and Legally Blonde, but this could be a chance for her to show some range.
Priestdaddy, Patricia Lockwood (Riverhead Books)
Before publishing Priestdaddy, Lockwood was best known for her viral poems and jocular Twitter persona. In this memoir, she uses her unconventional eye to tell an unusual story about falling on hard times and moving into a rectory with her father, a married Catholic priest. It has been optioned by Imagine Television, the production company responsible for such diverse favorites as Empire,Friday Night Lights,Parenthood, and National Geographic’s acclaimed Einstein miniseries Genius. Parenthood alum Mae Whitman could make a good Patricia, a woman with a wry smile and a killer sense of humor.
Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann (Doubleday)
Grann, the author of The Lost City of Z, tells the true story of Indians in Osage County, Oklahoma, who strike oil and become some of the wealthiest people in America. When they fall victim to a wave of violent crime that the local police refuse to solve, federal agents come to town, and the modern F.B.I. is born. Eric Roth, the screenwriter behind Forrest Gump and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, is writing the adaptation, and Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese have been rumored to being joining the team.
Genuine Fraud, E. Lockhart (Delacorte Press)
Prolific Y.A. writer E. Lockhart’s latest novel is an adolescent thriller with a twist: it starts at chapter 18 and moves backwards in time. Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner are working with Lionsgate to adapt the script and produce a film. Though it revolves around murder, the coming-of-age plot and complicated friendship between its two main characters makes Genuine Fraud seem like it could be Girls for a younger set.
The Deal of a Lifetime, Fredrik Backman (Atria Books)
A novella by the author of breakout hit A Man Called Ove—Tom Hanks is set to play the lead in the American adaptation—The Deal of a Lifetime tells the story of a man reuniting with an abandoned son at Christmas time in order to share a dark secret. No Trace Camping, the indie production company behind the popular adaptation Room, has acquired the rights, and author Backman is serving as an executive producer. It could be the Christmas thriller we never knew we wanted.
How to Stop Time, Matt Haig (Viking—forthcoming on February 6, 2018)
Set to be released in the United States this winter, How to Stop Time is already a best-seller in Britain. Benedict Cumberbatchbought the film rights and has attached his SunnyMarch production company to the project. The story seems like it was made for Cumberbatch. Main character Tom Hazard is an ordinary, middle-aged British man with a secret—because of a rare condition, he is actually hundreds of years old. He knew Shakespeare, lived through the Victorian era, and got to know F. Scott Fitzgerald, all while avoiding love.
Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:David LaChapelle’s Celebrity Portraits: Michael Jackson, Rihanna, and More
Michael Jackson, “In Jesus’ Arms,” 2007
“Michael has always been this huge figure in my life—bigger than just the music,” LaChapelle, says about the music icon he first met in the late 1980s, and with whom he was personal friends. In LaChapelle’s take on “The Pièta,” the Christian image depicting the Virgin Mary holding Jesus’s body, Jesus holds Jackson.Photo: © David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Miley Cyrus, “I Look Up and Try to See, the Stars Are Looking Back at Me,” 2016
“She’s on the cover of Lost+Found, and I really adore her,” LaChapelle says about the singer. The concept for this photo: Miley in outer space. “I think she was touring with the Dead Pets and the Flaming Lips, and there was just a lot of psychedelic imagery going on, which inspired me,” he says.Photo: © David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Uma Thurman, “Uma’s Uber,” 2011
“That’s just pure escapism,” says LaChapelle of the humorous, candy-colored photo of the actress shot at his studio.Photo: © David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Dwayne Johnson, “President Rock,” 2001
From a Vanity Fair photo shot when Johnson was still known as “The Rock,” the former wrestler had just done his first movie, The Mummy Returns. LaChapelle couldn’t help but notice his big bull arm tattoo, so he ordered one up for the shoot.Photo: © David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Bruce Lee, “Big Boss,” 2015
Model Bruce Guo is featured in this homage to Bruce Lee and his films. The photo was displayed in Beijing and Shanghai exhibitions.Photo: © David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Katy Perry, “‘I Have Always Depended on the Kindness of Strangers’ – Tennessee Williams,” 2011
Despite being a color image, the photo, shot in LaChapelle’s studio, is meant to create a “surrealistic” film-noir scene, LaChapelle says.Photo: © David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Naomi Campbell, “Need,” 2003
Shot for Tatler magazine, the image of the supermodel was snapped during Paris fashion week, and is part of the “All You Need Is Love” series. LaChapelle brought a portable set to five different fashion shows, and photographed a variety of people, including Campbell and Jean Paul Gaultier.Photo: © David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.PreviousNext
Michael Jackson, “In Jesus’ Arms,” 2007
“Michael has always been this huge figure in my life—bigger than just the music,” LaChapelle, says about the music icon he first met in the late 1980s, and with whom he was personal friends. In LaChapelle’s take on “The Pièta,” the Christian image depicting the Virgin Mary holding Jesus’s body, Jesus holds Jackson.© David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Miley Cyrus, “I Look Up and Try to See, the Stars Are Looking Back at Me,” 2016
“She’s on the cover of Lost+Found, and I really adore her,” LaChapelle says about the singer. The concept for this photo: Miley in outer space. “I think she was touring with the Dead Pets and the Flaming Lips, and there was just a lot of psychedelic imagery going on, which inspired me,” he says.© David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Uma Thurman, “Uma’s Uber,” 2011
“That’s just pure escapism,” says LaChapelle of the humorous, candy-colored photo of the actress shot at his studio.© David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Dwayne Johnson, “President Rock,” 2001
From a Vanity Fair photo shot when Johnson was still known as “The Rock,” the former wrestler had just done his first movie, The Mummy Returns. LaChapelle couldn’t help but notice his big bull arm tattoo, so he ordered one up for the shoot.© David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Dave Chappelle, “Stay Tune,” 1993
Shot long before Chappelle’s Show, the comedian was only about 18 years old when he and LaChapelle stayed at the same hotel, and the stand-up comedian kept getting the photographer’s packages. LaChapelle told Details about him, and was soon shooting Chappelle, along with his mother and grandmother—who cooked for his first big magazine photo shoot.© David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Rihanna, “Where Have You Been?,” 2007
Shot on the back lot of LaChapelle’s L.A. studio, the photo is a nod to the “Coppélia” ballet. In this version, Rihanna is “a beautiful mannequin in the window come to life,” LaChapelle says.© David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Kanye West, “The Cross I Bear,” 2006
“We all carry things around, but celebrities and entertainers usually give more than they get,” LaChapelle says. This is photographer’s way of saying, “We all have a cross to bear,” he says.© David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Bruce Lee, “Big Boss,” 2015
Model Bruce Guo is featured in this homage to Bruce Lee and his films. The photo was displayed in Beijing and Shanghai exhibitions.© David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Katy Perry, “‘I Have Always Depended on the Kindness of Strangers’ – Tennessee Williams,” 2011
Despite being a color image, the photo, shot in LaChapelle’s studio, is meant to create a “surrealistic” film-noir scene, LaChapelle says.© David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
Naomi Campbell, “Need,” 2003
Shot for Tatler magazine, the image of the supermodel was snapped during Paris fashion week, and is part of the “All You Need Is Love” series. LaChapelle brought a portable set to five different fashion shows, and photographed a variety of people, including Campbell and Jean Paul Gaultier.© David LaChapelle Studio/Courtesy of TASCHEN.
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