Miles Teller (Whiplash) is attached to star in the upcoming adaptation of the Dan Marshall novel, Home is Burning, with Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies) directing, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This comes with the announcement that New Line has acquired the rights to the yet-to-be released memoir, which recounts Marshall’s own experience after he moved home to help his mother – who was facing a relapse of cancer – and his father, who had just been diagnosed with lung cancer. The move also brought Marshall back in contact with his four siblings, who were all facing their own life hurdles.
Teller and Levine will also produce the project, which is being adapted for the screen by Marshall himself. The book is set for release in October and is reportedly filled with dark humor to go along with the serious subject matter. Levine has experience handling this type of material, as he also directed the cancer-comedy 50/50 that starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Walk); in that film, Gordon-Levitt’s character faced cancer diagnosis with the help of his best friend (Seth Rogen) and his therapist (Anna Kendrick). Levine also worked on the 90’s-set, coming-of-age drama The Wackness. He’s also working on an untitled Christmas movie that will reunite Gordon-Levitt and Rogen.
Levine’s co-producer, Teller, has plenty of experience working in comedic dramas, including his work in The Spectacular Now. He’s currently filming the new Todd Phillips comedy, Arms and the Dudes, with Jonah Hill. Teller will be seen next as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, in the reboot of The Fantastic Four franchise.
It’s not uncommon for studios to pick up book rights before the source material is released to the public. One of the first, and most notable, cases of this happening was with Peter Benchley’s novel Jaws; The Hunger Games and Divergent series got similar treatment. This is usually due to the lower cost of the rights before they become hits and ignite much more competitive bidding wars, as happened with Fifty Shades of Grey.
Home Is Burning is still very much in pre-production with no specific release plans announced for the project .
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