If you’re looking to get your novel turned into a film, it’s looking like your best bet is to forget that spy thriller you’ve been working on and switch to an enchanting tale aimed at children of all ages.
Well, that theory has worked for Alan Snow’s Here Be Monsters, anyway. The British writer’s book has been snapped up by Laika Entertainment for A Nightmare Before Christmas helmer Henry Selick to adapt.
And Selick is quick to identify why the company bought it. Yes, he invoked the “S” word: “Like Shrek, Here Be Monsters is packed with multilayered humour appealing to both young and adult audiences," Selick tells The Hollywood Reporter. "It has a winning combination of the familiar elements of a boy's fight against evil, set in an extraordinary world with a whimsical cast of characters."
If it’s successful, the company has a ready-made franchise: the book is part one of a trilogy called The Ratbridge Chronicles. But that remains a big 'if 'before even a frame has been shot.