Angela and Marla secured the rights from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company and will adapt this tale of undying love, suspense and reincarnation into an equally memorable and haunting screenplay.
Having the rights to an underlying property makes a script more desirable and credible to major production companies and Studios." From http://www.screenwritingu.com/buzz/?p=281
Finding an available best seller is almost as difficult as booking passage on the space shuttle. In our case it wasn't a first try, it was our second. As screenwriters who have yet to have a feature produced, it's desirable to have a novel with a great track record to base a spec script on. That's particularly true these days when every movie in your local theater is either an adaptation...or an adaptation.
It all started when I went searching for Anya Seton (it's time to re-read one of my favorite authors) and came across a blog that followed the trail of GREEN DARKNESS: I was amazed to discover that some of the major sites in the book were still in existence. My screenwriter's imagination went berserk! I immediately called my screenwriter friend, Marla and began telling her about the novel. By the time I was finished we'd both ordered copies of the book! Right after that I shot off an e-mail to the publisher and received a response a week later to say they weren't the holders of the rights-- but they were kind enough to forward that info.
The publisher replied quickly and informed us that the rights were indeed available. She would contact the late author's estate and find out more. We were on our way. Meanwhile the book arrived and we both started reading. It's a thick book, and a rich but not quick read. We quickly discovered that my memory was not what it used to be and nostalgia had woven a sheet of rose-colored glass over the whole story. Looking at it through "adaptation" spectacles was an entirely new experience. But that's not enough to daunt two experienced and determined screenwriters...
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