It’s official! Zoo City has been optioned by South African producer Helena Spring and I get first look at writing the screenplay.

Indiewire probably has the most comprehensive coverage of the story.

And here’s a more in-depth interview I did with the Mail & Guardian about it:

How will you approach the script? What changes will have to be made, if any?
We’re streamlining and simplifying and sometimes dumping subplots altogether, figuring out how to translate heavy texty bits (like the email scams) into a visual medium and changing some details. But the heart and guts are the same. It’s a dark and twisty love story murder mystery noir in a gritty magical Jo’burg.

Read the rest

And a short Q&A with Destiny magazine
Why do you think Helena Spring is the ideal choice (over major USA and UK producers) to produce Zoo City?
I knew with Helena that it wasn’t going to get stuck in development hell, where film projects languish for 10 years. It’s a top priority on her slate and she’s got strict milestones that she proposed to ensure that the film actually happens (funding dependent, of course). She fundamentally gets the novel and wants to film it in SA.

It’s all very exciting, but worth mentioning that most book-to-movie-adaptations take ten years to happen, if they happen at all. Helena’s pushing hard to get this made, but it’ll still take 3-4 years and millions of dollars. (If you have some spare, get in touch).