There was lots of news today about money being made…and lost…by crime novelists in Hollywood.
Informant Media has optioned the late William Diehl's novel HOOLIGANS as well as the screenplay adaptation that he wrote. Diehl is perhaps best known for his novel SHARKEY'S MACHINE, a remake of which is in development at Warner Brothers as Mark Wahlberg project. Diehl's novels EUREKA and 27 are also in active feature development. It's a shame he wasn't this hot while he was still alive to enjoy it.
Clive Cussler probably wishes he'd never got a call from Hollywood. He was just ordered by the L.A. Superior Court to pay Crusader Entertainment $14 million in legal fees after losing the lawsuit he filed against the studio over the film version of his novel SAHARA. The pricetag doesn't include the $13 million he's already paid his own lawyers. Naturally, Cussler is appealing. It must be nice to be able to afford to spend that much on lawyers.
Patricia Cornwell is someone who probably knows what it feels like to be that rich. She's just signed a deal with Munich-based Tandem Communications, which will produce movies for Lifetime based on her books AT RISK and THE FRONT.
Diehl was one of those novelists I hit a fit of reading in the mid-90s. “Hooligans” is a great little ride, and I’m shocked as hell it hasn’t been made into a movie already. Diehl was definitely one of those writers who could plot and pace with the best of them, and while they may show a certain sheen of age, they are certainly always worth a read.
BTW, congrats on the option deal, Lee.
And all I’ve got is this lousy T-shirt.