It's not every scientist that can claim to have influenced James Cameron, but Suzanne Simard can. Her memoir, Finding The Mother Tree, has quickly been snapped up for a film adaptation, with Jake Gyllenhaal producing and Amy Adams starring.
Simard is a world-renowned scientist who discovered how trees communicate underground through a web of fungi, which has forever altered how the world sees trees. And if the idea of a tree communicating sounds cinematically familiar, then perhaps you're thinking of the Tree Of Souls (AKA Vitraya Ramunong) in Avatar.
Yet Simard's journey to her current position was far from straightforward: while her revolutionary findings about Mother Trees and their links between the life that surrounds were initially dismissed and even ridiculed, they are now firmly supported by research and data.
Adams will also produce as well as star, and seems enthused to take on the role: "Suzanne’s novel has been an inspiration. Creatively, it excited us with a narrative about the awe-invoking power of nature and the compelling parallels in Suzanne’s personal life," she says in a statement. "It forever transformed our views of the world and the interconnectivity of our environment. Finding The Mother Tree is not only a deeply beautiful memoir about one woman’s impactful life, it’s also a call to action to protect, understand and connect with the natural world. We’re thrilled to partner with Jake & Riva [Marker, Gyllenhaal's producing partner] to bring Suzanne’s important life story to screen and expand the reach of her groundbreaking work."