How to use this Page

A theatrical production of To Kill a Mockingbird will open on Broadway. Scott Rudin, a famed producer, has acquired the stage adaptation rights.

According to Playbill, Aaron Sorkin, an Oscar-winning screenwriter, has agreed to adapt Harper Lee’s beloved novel for the script. Bartlett Sher, a Tony Award-winning director, has signed on to take the helm of this show.

The Wall Street Journal reports that “the move marks a reversal for Lee, who after To Kill a Mockingbird was published told her agent she didn’t want there to be a Broadway adaptation of the novel, according to correspondence in the archives of her former agent at Columbia University.” Last year, Lee shocked fans with a To Kill a Mockingbird sequel entitled Go Set a Watchman. HarperCollins published that book in July 2015. (via The New York Times)

I’m officially a children’s book author! River Rose and the Magical Lullaby comes out this October! #NewProjecthttps://t.co/qSAmmYr3ik

— Kelly Clarkson (@kelly_clarkson) February 9, 2016

Kelly Clarkson has signed a deal with HarperCollins Children’s Books. The singer has become well-known as a three-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist and the winner of the 2002 season of American Idol.

According to The Seattle Times, Laura Hughes will serve as the illustrator on this project. The publication date for River Rose and the Magical Lullaby has been set for October 2016.

Clarkson posted a video about this picture book on her social media page; we’ve embedded her Twitter post above. TIME reports that “the story follows a little girl who’s too excited about the next day’s zoo visit to fall asleep, until her mom sings her a lullaby that gives her dreams about playing with hippos, penguins and other zoo creatures.”

Bryan Singer will direct a new 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea movie. The filmmaker has become well-known for his work on four X-Men films: X-Men, X-Men 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and X-Men: Apocalypse.

Here’s more from Deadline: “The adaptation of the Jules Verne novel has a script by Rick Sordelet and Dan Studney, based on a story by Singer and those writers. Singer will produce with Jason Taylor, who heads the director’s Bad Hat Harry Productions.”

According to Variety, Singer posted a photo of the script on his Instagram page. He revealed that he has aspired to shoot a movie based on Verne’s science-fiction book since childhood. Click here to download a digital copy of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. (via io9)

Emily Brand, a fan of Sir Terry Pratchett, has launched a Change.org petition. She hopes to encourage the city council of Salisbury to install a permanent statue of the late fantasy fiction author.

Prior to his passing, Pratchett resided in this English town for more than two decades. So far, the petition has drawn more than 7,000 signatures.

Some of the supporters behind this project include Pratchett’s family and Pratchett’s longtime friend Neil Gaiman. BBC News reports that “a spokeswoman for the family said he would ‘undoubtedly’ have found the amusement ‘in almost any statue.'” Gaiman wrote a post about this venture on Facebook and encouraged his followers to sign the petition.

Bella Heathcote has been cast in the Fifty Shades Darker film adaptation. In the past, this actress has taken on literary-themed projects such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and The Curse of Downers Grove.

International Business Times reports that Heathcote will play Leila Williams; this character is the “former and mentally unstable submissive” of Christian Grey. E.L. James, the author of the Fifty Shades book trilogy, confirmed on the news on Twitter.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “this casting follows the announcement that Kim Basinger will play Grey’s Mrs. Robinson-esque first lover.” Both Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan have agreed to return to step into the roles of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. (via E! Online)

Morena Baccarin will serve as a narrator for the Lady Midnight audiobook. This actress (pictured, via) has become well-known for taking on roles in literary-themed projects such as the Gotham TV series and the Deadpool film adaptation.

Lady Midnight will be the first installment of Cassandra Clare’s newest young adult trilogy, The Dark Artifices. The story will be set in the Shadowhunters universe. Clare intends for this project to be a sequel to the six-part Mortal Instruments series. She announced on Twitter that the audiobook will be released on March 8.

Here’s more from USA Today: “It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses. Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…” (via The Fandom)

Megyn Kelly has signed a book deal with the Harper imprint. The Fox News journalist (pictured, via) has become well-known for questioning the temperament of Donald Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, during a debate held in August 2015.

Lisa Sharkey, the senior vice president director of creative development, acquired the manuscript. Matt Harper, an executive editor, will edit this project.

According to the press release, this book will mark Kelly’s debut as an author. The release date has been set for Fall 2016.

This week's portrait for the Seattle Review of Books is of Seattle icon Ivar Haglund. 

Cate Blanchett has signed on to star in a theatrical production of Anton Chekhov’s The Present. In the past, the two-time Academy Award winner (pictured, via) has acted in several literary-themed movies including the Lord of the Rings franchise, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Cinderella.

Here’s more from The New York Times: “The Present, also known as Platonov, centers on Anna Petrovna, who is celebrating her 40th birthday at her summer home in the country. She holds a party that includes uncomfortably mismatched collection of characters. Chekhov wrote it as a young medical student in the 1880s but it went nowhere and the playwright put it aside. It was unearthed in a Moscow bank vault in 1920, 16 years after his death.”

Deadline reports this play will mark Blanchett’s debut on Broadway. Starring alongside her will be Richard Roxburgh. Andrew Upton, Blanchett’s husband, adapted Chekhov’s piece. John Crowley, the director behind the Oscar-nominated film Brooklyn, has agreed to take the helm on this project. At this point in time, neither the New York City-based venue nor the opening date have been announced. (via Theater Mania)

Kim Basinger has landed the role of Elena Lincoln in the Fifty Shades Darker film adaptation. In the past, the Academy Award-winner has acted in several literary-themed movies including Batman, L.A. Confidential, and Charlie St. Cloud.

According to Vanity Fair, Basinger will play “the older woman in Christian Grey’s life who first introduced the fictional billionaire to the world of BDSM…In Fifty Shades Darker, Elena earns the nickname ‘Mrs. Robinson’ when Anastasia Steele—Christian’s more age-appropriate love interest, played by Dakota Johnson—learns that Elena seduced Christian when he was a teenager.”

Variety reports that James Foley has signed on to serve as the director. Niall Leonard, the husband of the Fifty Shades trilogy author E.L. James, has been tasked with adapting his wife’s erotic novel for the script.

The theatrical release date has been set for Feb. 10, 2017. (via Elle)

Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, and Spencer Stone has signed a book deal with the Perseus Books Group imprint, PublicAffairs. These three American men have become known as the heroes who saved a Thalys train full of people traveling to Paris back in August 2015.

USA Today reports that Jeffrey E. Stern will serve as the co-author on this project. The book, entitled The 15:17 to Paris, will be released in August 2016.

Here’s more from The Washington Post: “The highlight of the book will be the reenactment of the thwarted attack on Aug. 21, when Ayoub el-Khazzani, a suspected Islamist militant, began shooting. Stone, an Airman 1st Class, knocked down Khazzani and grabbed him around the neck even while the gunman was slicing him with a box cutter. Skarlatos, serving with the Oregon Army National Guard, and Sadler, then a senior at California State University at Sacramento, helped disarm and restrain Khazzani.” (via The Toronto Star)

Ricky Whittle will play Shadow Moon in the American Gods television show. In the past, he has acted in several literary-themed projects including The 100 series and the Austenland movie.

Starz and FremantleMedia North America plan to begin shooting this adaptation in April 2016. Neil Gaiman, the author behind the novel, will not only serve as an executive producer, but also a screenwriter.

Here’s more from the press release: “The plot posits a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, Shadow Moon, is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities.”

Susan Morrison, an editor at The New Yorker, has signed a deal with Random House. She plans to write a biography profiling the creator and producer of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels.

Vanity Fair reports that Morrison has obtained Michaels’ permission to work on this project. At this point in time, the publisher has not revealed the title of the book or the release date.

Here’s more from The New York Times: “Ms. Morrison was hired by Mr. Michaels to work at his shorter-lived 1984 NBC sketch program The New Show, where she was an assistant to the writer-producer Jim Downey, and she has edited S.N.L.-affiliated authors like Jack Handey and Steve Martin at The New Yorker. She said in response to emailed questions that she has been thinking about Mr. Michaels’s work for several decades.”

Each week I feature a different author portrait in this Seattle Review of Books column "Portrait Gallery."

Kathy Griffin has signed a seven-figure deal with Flatiron Books. The comedienne plans to write a book entitled Kathy Griffin’s Celebrity Index A to Z.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Griffin (pictured, via) plans to share her thoughts on Hollywood celebrities and personal stories. The publisher has scheduled the release for Fall 2016.

Here’s more from The New York Daily News: “The funny lady released her autobiography, Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin in 2009, which debuted at the top of the New York Times best-seller list. The 55-year-old is no stranger to dishing on stars with her racy work on My Life on the D-List.” (via Yahoo! TV)

Netflix has added two new members to the cast for the A Series of Unfortunate Events series. Entertainment Weekly reports that Malina Weissman will play Violet Baudelaire and Louis Hynes will play Klaus Baudelaire.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Neil Patrick Harris would take on the role of the antagonist, Count Olaf. The story for this adaptation project comes from a popular middle grade series by Lemony Snicket (a.k.a. Daniel Handler). Altogether, Handler wrote and published a total of thirteen installments.

Here’s more from Deadline: “Narrated by Snicket, A Series Of Unfortunate Events recounts the tale of the orphaned children Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire at the hands of the villainous Count Olaf, as they face trials and tribulations, misfortunes and an evil uncle in search of their fortune, all in their quest to uncover the secret of their parents’ deaths. Violet, the self-confident, capable and smart-beyond-her-years eldest sibling, helps her brother and sister solve problems with her skills as an inventor. Klaus is the middle child who loves books.” (via Hello Giggles)

Anthony Goff has been promoted to senior vice president of content development and audio publisher at Hachette Book Group.

In his new role, Goff will continue to lead product development for Hachette Audio. He will also head up product development for books, apps, games, teaching materials, videos and other original content.

Goff joined the publishing group in 2003 and has led the audio division since 2006.  Under his direction, the Hachette Audio division has won six Grammy awards. Goff has also served as a president of the Audio Publishers Association in the past. He is currently vice president of the association.

Trevor Noah has signed a deal with the Penguin Random House imprint, Spiegel & Grau. The South African comedian is currently the host of The Daily Show.

USA Today reports that Noah (pictured, via) plans to write a collection of personal essays. The publisher has set the release for November 2016.

Here’s more from The Associated Press: “Financial terms were not disclosed, but two publishing officials with knowledge of the negotiations said the deal was worth more than $3 million. The officials were not authorized to discuss the deal and asked not to be identified.” (via The A.V. Club)

Jazz Jennings has signed a memoir deal with the Random House Children’s Books imprint, Crown Books for Young Readers. She has also agreed to serve as the narrator for the audiobook edition of her book. This fifteen year old activist has become well-known as a prominent transgender advocate.

The publisher will release her memoir, entitled Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen, on Jun. 7. Emily Easton, an executive editor, negotiated the deal with Joseph Veltre, a literary agent at The Gersh Agency. Easton will edit the manuscript.

Here’s more from the press release: “Named one of the 25 Most Influential Teens by Time the past two years and the star of the TLC docu-series I Am Jazz, Jazz Jennings transitioned to life as a girl, with the support of her parents, at the age of five…In Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen, Jennings shares her very public journey and reflects on how these experiences have helped shape the mainstream attitude toward the transgender community. Now in high school, Jazz also addresses the physical, social, and emotional upheavals of adolescence, complicated by the unique challenges of being a transgender teen.”

Kit Harington has signed on to star in a new theatrical production of Doctor Faustus. Harington has become well-known for playing Jon Snow on the Game of Thrones HBO series.

Here’s more from The Daily Mail: “Doctor Faustus is about a physician who makes a pact, in blood, with the devil. Lucifer gets the Doctor’s soul. But for 24 years, Faustus gets infinite knowledge and the chance to indulge in any and every fantasy he desires. He becomes well acquainted with the Seven Deadly Sins in the process.”

Deadline reports that the show will open on Apr. 9 at the Duke of York Theatre; this venue can be found in the West End within London. Christopher Marlowe published The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus play back in 1604. Click here to download a free digital copy of this work.

Sick of finding books about white boys and dogs at her school library, New Jersey preteen Marley Dias launched the #1000blackgirlbooks project.

The social media campaign is an outreach program designed to collect 1000 books that feature black girls as the main characters. Supporters are encouraged to send donations or books with narratives featuring black girls to:

GrassROOTS Community Foundation

59 Main Street, Suite 323

West Orange, New Jersey

07052

Supporters can also share the hashtag on social networks.

The books will be donated to Retreat Primary and Junior School and Library in the parish of St. Mary, Jamaica where her mother grew up. Follow this link for more details.

Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines have signed a deal with an imprint at Thomas Nelson, the W Publishing Group. The husband-and-wife collaborators have become well-known as the stars of an HGTV show called Fixer Upper.

The Gaines will work with Mark Dagostino, a New York Times bestselling co-author, to write a book entitled The Magnolia Story. The publication date has been set for Oct. 18.

According to the press release, “The Magnolia Story documents the life story of Chip and Joanna Gaines, affectionately referred to as the “first couple of home improvement.”  From their courtship and their first collaborations to their early successes and the big building project that almost cost them everything, The Magnolia Story will detail how Chip and Joanna’s relationship has remained the constant through it all.”

Neil Patrick Harris has been cast in the forthcoming A Series of Unfortunate Events series. In the past, he (pictured, via) has acted in several book-based movies including Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (and its sequel) and Gone Girl.

Entertainment Weekly reports that the story for this Netflix series comes from Daniel Handler’s popular children’s books series. Handler himself will serve as an executive producer. Harris will play the villainous Count Olaf.

Here’s more from The Hollywood Reporter: “A Series of Unfortunate Events tells the tale of orphaned children Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, who finds themselves in the villainous clutches of an evil uncle named Count Olaf who has designs on their family fortune. Jim Carrey played the plum and showy role of the uncle in the 2004 movie that also starred Meryl Streep. Now Harris would play him.” (via io9)

Kevin Spacey has been cast in the J.D. Salinger biopic, Rebel in the Rye. In the past, Spacey has acted in several book-based projects including House of Cards, 21 movie, and L.A. Confidential.

Deadline reports that Spacey will play a professor named Whit Burnett who serves as mentor to young Salinger. The movie studio announced last year that Nicholas Hoult will take on the role of Salinger.

According to Variety, Danny Strong, the scribe behind Game Change and The Butler, will serve as both the director and screenwriter.

Strong will adapt Kenneth Slawenski’s biography, J.D. Salinger: A Life, for the script. The story will examine “Salinger as he prepares to write his classic novel, Catcher in the Rye.” (via Empire Magazine)

Have you ever imagined E. H. Shepard, the illustrator behind A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh series, drawing his own version of Star Wars? James Hance, an artist, has tackled this challenge.

According to Bored Panda, “Hance’s illustrations reimagine Chewbacca as Pooh Bear and Eeyore as an Imperial Walker.” Some of the pieces can be found for sale at Hance’s Etsy shop.

In addition to artwork, Hance has actually written and produced an audiobook entitled Wookie the Chew: The House at Chew Corner. Click here to download a free digital copy.