[Update 3/24 3 p.m.: Chuck Palahniuk has confirmed that he’ll co-write the “Lullaby” script with Andy Mingo.]
“Fight Club” author Chuck Palahniuk has optioned his fifth novel “Lullaby” to indie filmmakers Andy Mingo and Josh Leake. Mingo will direct from a script he’ll likely co-write with Palahniuk, while Leake will produce the indie adaptation.
“Lullaby” is particularly personal for Palahniuk, who wrote the book as he weighed the decision of capital punishment for the man who murdered his father.
The pitch-black story follows a newspaper reporter who suspects an African chant known as a “culling song” may be behind a series of cases of sudden infant death syndrome, which also claimed his own child. After he discovers the “lullaby” has the power to kill anyone whether spoken or merely thought, he begins to use it on people both accidentally and on purpose.
Palahniuk revealed the “Lullaby” news earlier this week, and Leake told TheWrap that he and Mingo have been excited by the response from the author’s fans.
Mingo wrote on Facebook that he’d like to shoot in Portland and eastern Oregon if the state legislature expands the Oregon Production Incentive Fund, but otherwise, the production would likely head to Louisiana. Leake told TheWrap that they hope to start shooting early next year.
“I’m honored and humbled to be bringing one of my all time favorite novels to the big screen with my production partner Josh Leake and our new production company, Mindpollen. This is going to be quite the adventure,” Mingo wrote on Facebook, whose wife is in a writing group with Palahniuk and “Wild” author Cheryl Strayed.
Mingo already has a good rapport with Palahniuk, having previously teamed with the author on the short film “Romance,” based on a short story from Palahniuk’s upcoming collection “Make Something Up: Stories You Can’t Unread.” The collection, which will be published on April 7, includes a story titled “Excursion” that features “Fight Club” protagonist Tyler Durden and serves as a precursor to Palahniuk’s breakout book.
“Chuck and I are friends so working with him just seems like an extension of that friendship. Chuck also has a very conscious view of the separation between his written work and its cinematic representation, which I suspect he learned early when ‘Fight Club’ was first released. With the story, ‘Romance’ that I adapted from one of Chuck’s short stories, he was very supportive with his comments when I was writing the script. I bought the rights to the story for one dollar and a bottle of wine. Wine has always been a big part of our friendship,” Mingo joked to Portland Film earlier this year in an interview conducted by Leake, who also serves as the founder and executive director of the Portland Film Festival.
Leake recently produced “Glena,” a feature-length documentary about a female MMA fighter that was picked up by Showtime after premiering at Slamdance in 2014. He’s currently developing several projects including a narrative feature adapted from a New York Times bestselling book.
Mingo teaches digital filmmaking at Oregon’s Clackamas Community College and has lectured at the Paris-Sorbonne University regarding the process of adapting Palahniuk’s fiction for the screen.
[From left: Leake, Palahniuk, KATU reporter Deb Knapp and Mingo]
16 of the Highest Grossing Book-to-Big Screen Adaptations of All Time
"Jaws" (1975)
The first Steven Spielberg-directed movie on the list made $260 million and is based on the Peter Benchley novel of the same name.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000)
The Dr. Seuss classic is the only holiday-oriented picture on the list, besting "Jaws" by less than $5,000.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
The first of a series of films based on the work of C.S. Lewis, "The Chronicles of Narnia" grossed $291 million.
"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010)
As a whole, the Stephenie Meyer-created "The Twilight Saga" has grossed more than $1.3 billion across five films, but the most successful was "Eclipse," which made over $300.5 million.
"Forrest Gump" (1994)
The award-winning film starring Tom Hanks in the titular role earned well over $329.6 million, a beloved movie based on the Winston Groom novel.
"Alice in Wonderland" (2010)
Though there's been several adaptations of Lewis Carroll's fantastic 1865 novel, no version has been more successful than Disney's interpretation starring Johnny Depp, which took in more than $334 million at the box office.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)
"The Return of the King" grossed $378 million, earning the most of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. All of the adaptations of author J.R.R. Tolkien's series earned more than $315 million.
"Harry Potter and the Death Hallows Part 2" (2011)
The epic finale of the beloved "Harry Potter" series grossed more than $381 million, bringing the domestic box office grand total to $2.39 billion. The wild success of the franchise made its creator, J.K. Rowling, the first and (so far) only billionaire author.
"Jurassic Park" (1993)
Celebrating its 20th anniversary with a 3D release, the flick made $402 million on its initial release. Michael Crichton, author of the novel, had his hands on the screenplay as well.
"Spider-Man" (2002)
Sony's Marvel Comics superhero adaptation "Spider-Man" shot to the top of the box office upon release, raking in more than $403.7 million. Its sequels, "Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man 3" were less successful but still earned a combined $710.1 million.
"Iron Man 3" (2013)
The only movie released this year that made the list is "Iron Man 3," and it's a figure Tony Stark would be proud of: $405 million. The trio of movies, starring another Marvel Comics-created superhero, made well over $1 billion worldwide.
"The Hunger Games" (2012)
The highly anticipated sequel, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," is expected to do big business at the box office after its Suzanne Collins-penned predecessor, "The Hunger Games," took in more than $408 million.
"The Lion King" (1994)
Filmmakers of "The Lion King" said that the Disney animated film's story is inspired by Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and the Bible. The picture raked in more than $422 million at the box office.
"Shrek 2" (2004)
William Steig's picture book "Shrek!" has spawned a major franchise, with the second film about the green ogre grossing the most, $441.2 million.
"The Dark Knight" (2008)
The most successful take on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, the Christopher Nolan-helmed trilogy took in almost $1.2 billion combined. The film also gave Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar and brought well over half a billion on its own.
"Marvel's The Avengers" (2012)
The Marvel Comics superhero team smashed box office records, earning more than $623.3 million, making it the most successful comic book adaptation to hit theaters to date.
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From "Twlight" to "Harry Potter" to "The Dark Knight" — here are some of the most successful literary adaptations at the domestic box office
"Jaws" (1975)
The first Steven Spielberg-directed movie on the list made $260 million and is based on the Peter Benchley novel of the same name.
[From left: Leake, Palahniuk, KATU reporter Deb Knapp and Mingo]
