And a Tip of the Fedora to John Hocking, who popped in the news that Mick Jagger has been plugged into the cast for the movie of The Burnt Orange Heresy.
The more potentially distressing news unveiled by Variety portrays the action as a “heist thriller” — racking the aging brain I don’t recall much heist action in the classic Big Deal on Madonna Street or Topkapi sense in Willeford’s novel. Or even the antics of The Italian Job and dozens more. I like heist thrillers, I’m thinking I would have noticed.
But as I was telling John, the mere fact that they are changing up names and locations suggests to me that they’ll drift so far away from the book that it won’t be the book. As happened with World War Z, where they used the title and had some zombies, and nothing else.
I figure if it turns into some major talked-about movie, all is swell. Float Willeford’s name to the top for a moment. Bring some people to his novel, even his backlist.
Of course, if it diverges just enough I can see the meetings where Someone in Power doesn’t want the Movie too closely associated with the Book.
It would be primo Willefordian if they brought in some struggling contract writer to do a novelization off the screenplay.
Jeez, the mere thought. . . .
