Hollywood producers in optioning book long before it ever hits shelves non-shocker! Yes, with Twilight finally wending its glittery way towards the end of its time on screen, the producers who spotted Edward and co’s true potential have latched on to another book series, with Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey nabbing the rights to Marie Lu’s Legend and hiring** The Wackness**' Jonathan Levine to direct. And no, it's nothing to do with Tom Cruise, unicorns or Tim Curry playing the devil.
The first book in a planned set will arrive in November, and introduces us to a North American continent riven apart by a Civil War, the two sides constantly in conflict. Out of the debris rises Day, a Robin Hood type who helps those in need but is also the nation’s most wanted criminal. Instead of sending the army after him, one side dispatches June, a teenage prodigy they think will do the job more effectively. A cat and mouse game ensues until they both learn a shocking truth about the oppressive governments on either side and start to work together.
Levine won’t jump into getting Legend on screen right away, since he’s busy finishing Seth Rogen/Joseph Gordon-Levitt cancer dramady 50/50 and is getting ready to make zombie romance Warm Bodies starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer this summer. Plus, there’s no script ready for the book adaptation just yet.
But CBS Films – which could use a real hit after **Beastly **was only mildly successful and the likes of Extraordinary Measures, Faster and The Mechanic didn’t quite deliver – sees the potential and is willing to wait.