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Columbia Pictures has tapped Susannah Grant to adapt the YA sci-fi novel The 5th Wave.
Grant, who was nominated for an Oscar for her Erin Brockovich screenplay and is one of the studio’s go-to script doctors for high-profile projects, will tackle Rick Yancey‘s first installment in a planned trilogy. The book, which was published May 7, has drawn comparisons to The Hunger Games because of its themes of teen romance set against the backdrop of a future in peril.
The story follows a 16-year-old heroine who survives an alien invasion only to search for her brother, who might have been abducted by human-looking extraterrestrials. The girl is helped by a boy who also might be an alien in disguise.
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The book has generated a great deal of hype in the run-up to its publication. Publisher Penguin reportedly plunked down $750,000 for the book’s marketing campaign, which included a series of pricey trailers that ran before films like Man of Steel. The New York Times gave the book a rave review, calling it “wildly entertaining.”
Tobey Maguire‘s Material Pictures and GK Films are producing the movie.
Andrea Giannetti and Hannah Minghella are shepherding the project for the studio.
Grant has adapted several books for the screen including The Soloist, Charlotte’s Web and In Her Shoes. She also penned a draft of Fox 2000’s untitled Beach Boys project, which the specialty label is developing. Her TV credits include CBS’ A Gifted Man and Fox’s long-running hit Party of Five.
Grant is repped by CAA.
E-mail: Tatiana.Siegel@THR.com
Twitter: @TatianaSiegel27
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