Your Favorite Books … Now at the Movies

New Line will produce Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy … the first movie is due out sometime in 2005/2006. Despite rumors (or hopes) to the contrary, Peter Jackson will not be the director … M. Night Shayamalan and 20th Century Fox are working on Yann Martel’s bestselling Life of Pi; the movie is due out in 2005 … Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi classic Foundation is slated for 2005, and is also being produced by 20th Century. Shekhar Kapur of “Elizabeth” fame is directing … Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged is predicted out in 2004; Crusader Entertainment purchased movie rights earlier this year … Miramax was scheduled bring out Prozac Nation in “late 2003,” but sounds like it will be 2004 at this point … Matt Damon will return in 2005 as Jason Bourne in Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Supremecy … The Snow Walker, based on Canadian author Farley Mowatt’s short story “Walk Well My Brother,” is set for 2005 release by First Look … Stephen L. Carter’s debut novel and “Today Show” Book Club book The Emperor of Ocean Park is set for 2004 release by Warner Brothers … and finally, Miramax is fronting the money for Steven Soderbergh’s adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Confederacy of Dunces. John Kennedy Toole’s novel highlights the life of one Ignatius J. Reilly, whose main goal is to live without ever being gainfully employed. Sounds like something we can all strive for.