A Heartbreaking Movie

After being caught in development hell for three years, it looks like Dave Eggers' autobiography, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, is on its way to the big screen. Universal Pictures is picking up rights to the book from New Line, and Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry) will be developing the project. Interestingly, Nick Hornby and D.V. DeVincentis (screenwriter of Grosse Pointe Blank, High Fidelity) adapted the book.

If the NBC-Vivendi Universal merger goes through, Gothamist imagines we'll be seeing a lot of Dave Eggers on the Today show and Dateline, as well as specials about the making of the film, then AHWSTG's cable rights going to Bravo and TV rights to NBC. Maybe Dave Eggers will be on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy - McSweeney's did do a list of possible spin-offs (hey, we think Jew Eye for the Goy Guy has legs!). But the big question Gothamist has is, will Vince Vaughn make a cameo appearance?

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By Jen Chung in Arts & Entertainment on September 11, 2003 10:11 AM

Comments [rss]

cory

I read this book on a three week trip across Canada...one of the most realistic books I've ever read....I was just glad to learn that I was just as neurotic as everyone else....

Rex

Twice I've read this book and both times it hit me like a ton of bricks. I have never read anything more surprisingly real. I was wondering for a while if they were going to make a movie about it and I'm glad they decided to, though I don't believe it can ever hope to live up to the book (unless maybe Tim Burton did it haha).

Lina

I read this book a couple years ago and loved it! It wasn't a surprise to find it on its way to the big screen.

brian w

If anyone needs a lesson on applying one's hair products from the back first, it's Dave Eggers.

Lonnie Johns

I hope the whole movie is of Dave and Toph playing frisbee because that was the most fantastically heartbreaking event of the book. It made me cry.

Mase

I loved this book and hope it will be as a good an adaptation as "About a Boy" was. The key role in casting the movie, methinks, will be Topher.