Water For Elephants Film Adaptation Getting Fast-Tracked

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:31:31 -0700

Sara Gruen's bestselling novel Water For Elephants has apparently been at the center of a competitive bidding war among movie studios, with victory going to Fox 2000. The studio beat out Warner Bros., Universal, and Paramount for the rights, mostly because of "the company's passion and track record with literary adaptations." The Hollywood Reporter has more:

The book centers on a 90-year-old man reminiscing about his life and is set during the Depression, when he found work at a B-level circus taking care of the animals. He sees the brutality of circus life while falling for the wife of an abusive animal trainer.

Fox 2000 president Elizabeth Gabler acknowledged the translation might face challenges because of the nature of the story, yet she believes in the project's power.

"It's a period movie," she said, "and it's a circus movie . . . It is a risky piece of material, but there is a lot going for it. It's inspirational and it packs a lot of punch. And it'll attract a lot of talented people."

I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence will direct.

Have you read Water for Elephants? Do you have any casting suggestions? Should I make this book one of my Buzz Book Club selections?

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