Jack Black Set For Lead Role in Gulliver's Travels

BuzzSugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:30:28 PST

Jack Black has signed on to play the title role in a "contemporary reimagining of the classic Jonathan Swift tale," Gulliver's Travels. Apparently director Rob Letterman has been attached to the project for a while, but Twentieth Century Fox quickly greenlit the project once Black signed on. Variety reminds us of the details:

Story centers on Lemuel Gulliver, a free-spirited travel writer who, on an assignment to the Bermuda Triangle, suddenly finds himself a giant among men when he washes ashore on the hidden island of Lilliput, home to a population of industrious, yet tiny, people.

Though I liked School of Rock and I really liked Kung Fu Panda, I usually prefer my Jack Black in smaller side character doses, like Barry in High Fidelity or his supporting role in Tropic Thunder. I'll be curious to find out what he does with Gulliver.

What do you think of a "contemporary reimagining" of this story, toplined by Jack Black?

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Neil deGrasse Tyson's 8 Must-Read Books

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:46:52 PST

Science enthusiasts' favorite astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson signed on this weekend to take part in an online Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) chat, which allowed Reddit users to submit questions on space, concepts of the universe, and life in general.

One literary commenter asked Neil which books should be read by every person on the planet, to which the director of the Hayden Planetarium offered the following eight books. Consuming these books, he said, provides "profound insight into most of what has driven the history of the Western world."

The Bible
The System of the World, Sir Isaac Newton
On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin
Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift
The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine
The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith
The Art of War, Sun Tzu
The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli

Have you read any of the books on Neil's suggested reading list? If so, how did it impact your life?