ComingSoon.net got a chance to talk exclusively to Diary of a Wimpy Kid producer Nina Jacobson on Wednesday and she told us more about her upcoming projects.
Jacobson revealed to us that she’s producing an adaptation of author David Nicholls’ One Day, to be directed by Lone Scherfig (An Education). “That is supposed to go this summer in London with Lone Scherfig directing and Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess,” she said, adding that the deals aren’t closed but that the two stars are both attached. “Their deals are being negotiated right now.”
The Focus Features romantic comedy centers on Dexter and Emma, who first meet during their graduation in 1988 and proceed to reunite one day each year for the next 20 years.
Asked about sci-fi action film The Hunger Games, Jacobson said, “The author (Suzanne Collins) is adapting it herself and she is writing away as we speak so I’m very excited about that.”
There’s no director or cast on board for that film yet. “We’ve had a lot of interest from directors,” she said. “Kind of an embarrassment of riches in terms of tons of directors who have called about it, but we didn’t want to attach anybody until we had a script and knew we were making the movie so that we didn’t end up having somebody get attached and then take something else and then not know what to do about staying with them or not. So we are waiting until we have our script before we go to directors, but there’s been some interest from great people.”
Lionsgate is targeting a 2011 release for the film. “[The studio] has been incredibly gonzo about having the movie. We’re getting the script in and our goal is we hope to attach a director late spring and make the movie in the fall for release anytime fall ’11 or later. But that’s if everything goes perfectly on the script. If we take more time on the script, we’ll just go a little bit later. But our hope is to be making this movie in the fall,” she explained.
“Hunger Games” is described as follows:
Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, “The Hunger Games.” The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When her sister is chosen by lottery, Katniss steps up to go in her place.
Jacobson is also developing The Dominion, a sci-fi thriller which centers on a human who is chosen to command an army’s first-ever platoon of robotic soldiers.
“It’s a great really interesting subject matter,” she told us. “It’s been very educational for me actually to learn all about military robotics. My writer’s actually about to turn the script in to the studio in the next couple of days and hopefully we’ll start looking for directors soon.”
Another project she’s working on is Children of the Lamp, based on author P.B. Kerr’s children’s fantasy novels about a family of djinn (a kind of genie) who disguise themselves as humans but can still grant wishes. “We’re meeting with directors right now. I haven’t decided on one yet.”
Diary of a Wimpy Kid hits theaters on March 19.
