Post by Karrie on Jan 1, 2006 12:59:59 GMT -5
Depp's novel approach to Scotland
WILLIAM LYONS
ARTS CORRESPONDENT
JAN 1, 2006
Source- scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/
HOLLYWOOD superstar Johnny Depp is poised to buy the film rights to a Scottish author's critically acclaimed novel.
The actor, known for his versatility and love of British culture, is in negotiations with Canongate publishers to acquire an option on James Meek's Siberian classic The People's Act of Love.
The deal, which is yet to be finalised, will give Depp's production company, Infinitum Nihil, sole rights to any film adaptation of the acclaimed epic.
As yet no actors have been approached to star in a film but it has been likened to a Siberian Apocalypse Now with a possible pairing of Depp and Russell Crowe.
Last night, Canongate owner Jamie Byng refused to discuss further details until a contract had been signed. But he said: "We are in discussions. It is pretty much agreed."
How much the deal is worth depends on whether Depp goes on to produce the film. At this stage it is more likely to be a modest sum in the region of thousands, but a similar deal by Depp involving the rights to Nick Hornby's novel A Long Way Down was reported to have made £2m.
Depp's interest in a Scottish book is in keeping with his love affair with British culture.
He took part in an episode of The Fast Show in 2000 after declaring he was a big fan. He also played slide guitar on the Oasis song 'Fade In-Out' from their 1997 album Be Here Now.
Depp founded his own movie production company in 2004 to develop projects for which he is expected to either star in or produce. So far it has announced three films, including the adaptation of Hornby's novel.
Depp's involvement with The People's Act of Love also signals a meteoric rise for the novel which has already been translated into 20 different languages despite hitting the shelves just five months ago.
Set in a remote Siberian village in 1919, the novel recounts the confused and bloody years of the civil war that followed the revolutions of 1917.
Stranded in the village is a marooned legion of Czechoslovakian troops keeping the peace and awaiting its fate at the hands of the advancing Red Army. Living nearby is an extreme Christian sect who have castrated themselves to be closer to God.
The equilibrium of this isolated community is disturbed when a local shaman is found murdered and a fugitive from a labour camp turns up, pursued by a cannibal.
At this stage it is not clear whether Depp, who recently drew massive box office takings with his dark portrayal of Willy Wonka, would star in any film adaptation.
But his convincing portrayal of the Earl of Rochester in The Libertine has led some critics to suggest that he could play either the role of the flamboyant revolutionary Russian Samarin or the megalomaniac commander of the Czech regiment Captain Matula.
Film journalist Brian Pendreigh said: "It is a complicated novel that reminds me of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now which was based on Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness. There is a small section of Siberia which is ruled by the leader of the Czechoslovakian regiment named Matula. One can draw parallels with Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz.
"There are two main roles one is Samarin, the Russian soldier, I presume that is the role that Johnny Depp would play. The other is Matula which could be played by Russell Crowe or perhaps Christopher Walken. The female character Anna Petrovna would be ideal for Keira Knightley."
Since its publication in July the novel has received impeccable reviews, with one critic likening it to Kafka. Military historian Antony Beevor described it as an "exceptional event in English literature", while Phillip Pullman said it was "a quite extraordinary novel".
Marc Lambert, chief executive of the Scottish Book Trust, said it showed Scottish writers are doing something of world interest. He said: "I am not surprised that Johnny Depp, who is quite a cultured person, has his ear to the ground, does read and is interested in good writing, would be interested in this book. It is a complex tale to bring to the big screen but if there is anybody that can handle multiple characterisations that are necessary then I think Johnny Depp is a good one to try.
"Although there is a love story at the heart of the book I find it difficult to see it being translated into a big Hollywood blockbuster type movie. If it did get made into a film it would be best made as a European rather than a Hollywood film and of course Johnny Depp is well placed to do that."
Yesterday Meek said that he didn't have a film in mind when he set about writing the book but hoped the novel could inspire another art form.
He said: "My feeling about books and films generally is that they are different artefacts. The book is a book and the film is a film. It is possible to have a bad book made into a good film or a good book made into a bad film.
"One thing that the novelist generally does not like to think is that they are writing something that is somehow a preface to a work of art in a different medium which is going to deface their own work.
"But having said that, of course, if one work of art can provide an inspiration to another related but different work of art then that is a good thing."
Meek, who was born in London but grew up in Dundee, has published two novels, Mcfarlane Boils The Sea and Drivetime, and two collections of short stories, Last Orders, and most recently, The Museum Of Doubt. A former staff reporter with The Scotsman, Meek left the newspaper in 1991 to work in the former Soviet Union, where he established himself as a foreign correspondent with The Guardian.
Yesterday a spokesman for Infinitum Nihil was unavailable for comment.
WILLIAM LYONS
ARTS CORRESPONDENT
JAN 1, 2006
Source- scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/
HOLLYWOOD superstar Johnny Depp is poised to buy the film rights to a Scottish author's critically acclaimed novel.
The actor, known for his versatility and love of British culture, is in negotiations with Canongate publishers to acquire an option on James Meek's Siberian classic The People's Act of Love.
The deal, which is yet to be finalised, will give Depp's production company, Infinitum Nihil, sole rights to any film adaptation of the acclaimed epic.
As yet no actors have been approached to star in a film but it has been likened to a Siberian Apocalypse Now with a possible pairing of Depp and Russell Crowe.
Last night, Canongate owner Jamie Byng refused to discuss further details until a contract had been signed. But he said: "We are in discussions. It is pretty much agreed."
How much the deal is worth depends on whether Depp goes on to produce the film. At this stage it is more likely to be a modest sum in the region of thousands, but a similar deal by Depp involving the rights to Nick Hornby's novel A Long Way Down was reported to have made £2m.
Depp's interest in a Scottish book is in keeping with his love affair with British culture.
He took part in an episode of The Fast Show in 2000 after declaring he was a big fan. He also played slide guitar on the Oasis song 'Fade In-Out' from their 1997 album Be Here Now.
Depp founded his own movie production company in 2004 to develop projects for which he is expected to either star in or produce. So far it has announced three films, including the adaptation of Hornby's novel.
Depp's involvement with The People's Act of Love also signals a meteoric rise for the novel which has already been translated into 20 different languages despite hitting the shelves just five months ago.
Set in a remote Siberian village in 1919, the novel recounts the confused and bloody years of the civil war that followed the revolutions of 1917.
Stranded in the village is a marooned legion of Czechoslovakian troops keeping the peace and awaiting its fate at the hands of the advancing Red Army. Living nearby is an extreme Christian sect who have castrated themselves to be closer to God.
The equilibrium of this isolated community is disturbed when a local shaman is found murdered and a fugitive from a labour camp turns up, pursued by a cannibal.
At this stage it is not clear whether Depp, who recently drew massive box office takings with his dark portrayal of Willy Wonka, would star in any film adaptation.
But his convincing portrayal of the Earl of Rochester in The Libertine has led some critics to suggest that he could play either the role of the flamboyant revolutionary Russian Samarin or the megalomaniac commander of the Czech regiment Captain Matula.
Film journalist Brian Pendreigh said: "It is a complicated novel that reminds me of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now which was based on Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness. There is a small section of Siberia which is ruled by the leader of the Czechoslovakian regiment named Matula. One can draw parallels with Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz.
"There are two main roles one is Samarin, the Russian soldier, I presume that is the role that Johnny Depp would play. The other is Matula which could be played by Russell Crowe or perhaps Christopher Walken. The female character Anna Petrovna would be ideal for Keira Knightley."
Since its publication in July the novel has received impeccable reviews, with one critic likening it to Kafka. Military historian Antony Beevor described it as an "exceptional event in English literature", while Phillip Pullman said it was "a quite extraordinary novel".
Marc Lambert, chief executive of the Scottish Book Trust, said it showed Scottish writers are doing something of world interest. He said: "I am not surprised that Johnny Depp, who is quite a cultured person, has his ear to the ground, does read and is interested in good writing, would be interested in this book. It is a complex tale to bring to the big screen but if there is anybody that can handle multiple characterisations that are necessary then I think Johnny Depp is a good one to try.
"Although there is a love story at the heart of the book I find it difficult to see it being translated into a big Hollywood blockbuster type movie. If it did get made into a film it would be best made as a European rather than a Hollywood film and of course Johnny Depp is well placed to do that."
Yesterday Meek said that he didn't have a film in mind when he set about writing the book but hoped the novel could inspire another art form.
He said: "My feeling about books and films generally is that they are different artefacts. The book is a book and the film is a film. It is possible to have a bad book made into a good film or a good book made into a bad film.
"One thing that the novelist generally does not like to think is that they are writing something that is somehow a preface to a work of art in a different medium which is going to deface their own work.
"But having said that, of course, if one work of art can provide an inspiration to another related but different work of art then that is a good thing."
Meek, who was born in London but grew up in Dundee, has published two novels, Mcfarlane Boils The Sea and Drivetime, and two collections of short stories, Last Orders, and most recently, The Museum Of Doubt. A former staff reporter with The Scotsman, Meek left the newspaper in 1991 to work in the former Soviet Union, where he established himself as a foreign correspondent with The Guardian.
Yesterday a spokesman for Infinitum Nihil was unavailable for comment.