This year is fast shaping up to be the year of the young adult novel adaptations. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" and "Breaking Dawn: Part 1" are both hitting theaters this year, "The Vampire Diaries" continues to dominate TV screens, and who can forget the upcoming releases of "Beastly" and "I Am Number Four"?
2011 also marks the start of production on some of our new favorite YA novels. "City of Bones" snagged a director and leading lady, Taylor Lautner signed on to "Incarceron," and of course we're waiting for a casting announcement for "The Hunger Games" any day now. Then there's "The Maze Runner," which landed "Twilight" and "Red Riding Hood" director Catherine Hardwicke as its helmer and just secured producer Noah Oppenheim as its screenwriter.
The news comes from The Los Angeles Times, which notes that this will be Noah's first young adult film. Keep reading to find out what we think about Noah's credentials and what to expect from this adaptation.
To be perfectly frank, Noah is a bit of a wild-card choice for the job. He's best known as a senior producer on "Hardball With Chris Matthews" and "The Today Show." He also serves as executive producer on MTV's documentary TV series, "The Buried Life." The LA Times does cite some of the journalist and author's other writing credits, including Fox Searchlight's Jackie Kennedy film (which caught the eye of Steven Spielberg) and "Snabba Cash," the Zac Efron-starring remake of the Swedish crime drama of the same name.
But, since "Maze Runner" takes place in a dystopian future much like "The Hunger Games," we could see Noah using his previous experience as a journalist and a producer on hard news shows to create a realistic and critical look at the society main character Thomas lives in. Plus, maybe it means Zac Efron will take an interest in this flick as well.
Are you glad to hear "The Maze Runner" has a screenwriter? Who do you want to see star in the film? Tell us in the comments and on Twitter!
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