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It got optioned about a week after it came out, but they must really be keen if it's already got an even tentative date.
It's a perfect cinema blockbuster story though, really.
I'm also intrigued by Lions even though I've not yet read the book, because it's not a typical-setting fantasy. Might pave the way for other adventurous fantasy films too, if it does well, so here's hoping.
The Lions of Al-Rassan is currently in pre-production with director Edward Zwick, who directed
Glory,
Legends of the Fall,
Courage Under Fire,
The Last Samurai and the recent DiCaprio movie
Blood Diamond. Supposedly it will be his next film, shot this summer for release in late 2008 (although this is not 100% confirmed). The movie supposedly transposes the action from Al-Rassan to the real historical Spain. How this will work on screen is unclear. IMO, the book is probably the best thing Kay has written, just nosing ahead of the mighty
Tigana.
The film rights to
The Lies of Locke Lamora were sold long before the book was published. The ARCs of the book generated tons of interest in late 2005 and a copy found its way to a Hollywood studio, who optioned the book and generated a lot of excitement in the process. Currently the film is 'in development' and a script is being written but is not yet complete. The scriptwriters have been talking to Lynch about it and a couple of Lynch's requested changes have been made (a romance was removed from the script after Lynch convinced the scriptwriters of the importance of leaving Locke free to address the Sabetha situation in sequels). No director is attached. There is no way the movie will be out in 2008. That's an IMDB placeholder.
In case people hadn't heard, Red Eagle Entertainment have confirmed that a couple of scriptwriters are at work on a possible movie adaption of Jordan's
The Eye of the World; a pilot script for Martin's
A Game of Thrones should be finished before the end of the summer; and the Sam Raimi-produced TV adaption of Goodkind's
Wizards' First Rule is starting to move ahead as well (my TV bleeds!).