The torrent of books being snapped up for movie adaptation even before they’ve had a chance to hit shelves and gather any sort of audience has grown by one.
Mark Burnett – the man responsible for seemingly half the reality shows currently plaguing US telly – has nabbed the rights to Michael Scott’s fantasy book series The Secrets Of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel.
The first book doesn’t even arrive in the shops until next May, but Burnett obviously sees something in them. He’s described what he’s read to Variety as having “the scope of Lord Of The Rings and the charm and intrigue of Harry Potter”. The first book – The Alchemyst – introduces us to Flamel, where the 600-year-old (who doesn’t look a day over 50) helps two teenagers Josh and Sophie, fight evil in San Francisco. The rest of the early books have the twins fighting an age-old war as they flee across the States, pursued by mythical beings.
There’s no studio attached yet, though with that killer concept, we’d imagine someone will jump at the chance to make at least the first film. And with five volumes following it up, there’s a ready-made franchise waiting in the wings.
