NEW YORK -- News Corp.'s MySpace is collaborating with best-selling Brazilian author Paulo Coelho to make a user-generated movie of his book The Witch of Portobello.
Users can submit videos focusing on one of the book's characters to MySpaceTV or Coelho's MySpace page, myspace.com/paulocoelho, and up to 15 winning submissions will be molded into a video "mash-up" called The Experimental Witch. Users can also submit songs for a soundtrack to the film, with up to 16 selected for the project.
Coelho, speaking from Paris in a conference call with reporters, said that his agent has been approached by "quite a few people" interested in buying the finished product for a 52-minute TV film. No decision on final distribution of the project has been reached, though.
Witch is not the only Coelho title that will get a film treatment. Last month, it was announced that his 1988 novel The Alchemist would be made into a $60 million-plus film produced by Harvey Weinstein for the Weinstein Co.
Users can submit videos focusing on one of the book's characters to MySpaceTV or Coelho's MySpace page, myspace.com/paulocoelho, and up to 15 winning submissions will be molded into a video "mash-up" called The Experimental Witch. Users can also submit songs for a soundtrack to the film, with up to 16 selected for the project.
Coelho, speaking from Paris in a conference call with reporters, said that his agent has been approached by "quite a few people" interested in buying the finished product for a 52-minute TV film. No decision on final distribution of the project has been reached, though.
Witch is not the only Coelho title that will get a film treatment. Last month, it was announced that his 1988 novel The Alchemist would be made into a $60 million-plus film produced by Harvey Weinstein for the Weinstein Co.
- 6/10/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TORONTO -- Kate Bosworth will play the title role in Emily Young's feature adaptation of Paulo Coelho's best-seller "Veronika Decides to Die" for Das Films, Palm Star Entertainment and Muse Films.
In the drama, written for the screen by Larry Gross ("We Don't Live Here Anymore") and Roberta Hanley ("Woundings"), Bosworth will play a woman who wakes up in a mental institution after a failed suicide attempt. She discovers that she has a weakened heart and only days to live. The film follows her recovery as she finds true love and a newfound will to survive.
"Veronika" will be produced and financed by Das head Sriram Das and Muse owner Chris Hanley, and executive produced by Palm Star CEO Kevin Frakes. Principal photography begins this winter in New York. Velvet Octopus will serve as the film's sales company.
"Veronika" is the first project out of the gate for Das Films, founded this spring by Das and home to 15 pending projects.
In the drama, written for the screen by Larry Gross ("We Don't Live Here Anymore") and Roberta Hanley ("Woundings"), Bosworth will play a woman who wakes up in a mental institution after a failed suicide attempt. She discovers that she has a weakened heart and only days to live. The film follows her recovery as she finds true love and a newfound will to survive.
"Veronika" will be produced and financed by Das head Sriram Das and Muse owner Chris Hanley, and executive produced by Palm Star CEO Kevin Frakes. Principal photography begins this winter in New York. Velvet Octopus will serve as the film's sales company.
"Veronika" is the first project out of the gate for Das Films, founded this spring by Das and home to 15 pending projects.
- 9/11/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Laurence Fishburne and A-Mark Entertainment have acquired the film rights to the best-selling novel The Alchemist from Warner Bros. Pictures with the intent of making the movie themselves.
Warners acquired author Paulo Coelho's philosophical book -- about a traveler journeying the world during the Inquisition in order to find man's purpose in the world -- in 2003 as a Fishburne vehicle. Since its debut in 1988, the book has been translated into 56 languages and has sold more than 40 million copies in more than 150 countries.
The road to the screen, however, has been almost as arduous as the traveler's journey.
Fishburne wrote the screenplay for the film and also is set to direct. Barrie Osborne (The Lord of the Rings) is producing alongside Akeelah and the Bee producers Fishburne and Helen Sugland.
The filmmakers' take is described as "Harry Potter meets Indiana Jones," with a sweeping adventure centering on a young Spaniard who embarks on a quest to find a hidden treasure within the Egyptian pyramids and ends up discovering a personal treasure that eclipses his wildest expectations.
Warners acquired author Paulo Coelho's philosophical book -- about a traveler journeying the world during the Inquisition in order to find man's purpose in the world -- in 2003 as a Fishburne vehicle. Since its debut in 1988, the book has been translated into 56 languages and has sold more than 40 million copies in more than 150 countries.
The road to the screen, however, has been almost as arduous as the traveler's journey.
Fishburne wrote the screenplay for the film and also is set to direct. Barrie Osborne (The Lord of the Rings) is producing alongside Akeelah and the Bee producers Fishburne and Helen Sugland.
The filmmakers' take is described as "Harry Potter meets Indiana Jones," with a sweeping adventure centering on a young Spaniard who embarks on a quest to find a hidden treasure within the Egyptian pyramids and ends up discovering a personal treasure that eclipses his wildest expectations.
- 6/27/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marcos Bernstein has been tapped to adapt the Paulo Coelho novel Eleven Minutes for New Line Cinema. Gianni Nunnari is producing via his Hollywood Gang shingle.
The erotically charged tale centers on a Brazilian woman who goes to Switzerland to seek her fortune only to find work in a gentleman's club. Her journey of self-discovery takes her on the many roads of sex and love.
Brazilian writer Coelho is the author of the worldwide best-seller The Alchemist.
Craig Flores and Alan Finkelstein are executive producing Minutes, as is George Waud. Nathalie Peter-Contesse is co-producing. Hollywood Gang is co-financing with the studio.
Nunnari produced Warner Bros.' adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel 300 and is adapting Miller's miniseries Ronin, also for Warners.
The studio and producers are aiming to keep the novel's Brazilian voice by bringing Bernstein on board. The Rio de Janeiro-born writer wrote Central Station, a Brazilian film nominated for a best foreign-language Oscar in 1998. He is attached to direct Furious, a thriller written by Terry Curtis Fox being produced by Artfire Films, and his award-winning 2004 Brazilian film The Other Side of the Street is being remade by Jeff Sharp's New York-based company Sharp Independent.
The erotically charged tale centers on a Brazilian woman who goes to Switzerland to seek her fortune only to find work in a gentleman's club. Her journey of self-discovery takes her on the many roads of sex and love.
Brazilian writer Coelho is the author of the worldwide best-seller The Alchemist.
Craig Flores and Alan Finkelstein are executive producing Minutes, as is George Waud. Nathalie Peter-Contesse is co-producing. Hollywood Gang is co-financing with the studio.
Nunnari produced Warner Bros.' adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel 300 and is adapting Miller's miniseries Ronin, also for Warners.
The studio and producers are aiming to keep the novel's Brazilian voice by bringing Bernstein on board. The Rio de Janeiro-born writer wrote Central Station, a Brazilian film nominated for a best foreign-language Oscar in 1998. He is attached to direct Furious, a thriller written by Terry Curtis Fox being produced by Artfire Films, and his award-winning 2004 Brazilian film The Other Side of the Street is being remade by Jeff Sharp's New York-based company Sharp Independent.
- 5/15/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.