James Metcalf on the fictionality of the latest archaeological page-turners
Stephen Puddicombe looks at the unusual appeal of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot
Ciaran Rafferty investigates the science of book classification
Another string to Wossy’s bow
The director Michael Vaughn (of Kick Ass fame), has expressed interest in filming Jonathan Ross’ graphic novel, The Golden Age. “Hold on a minute”, we hear you say, “Since when does Wossy write comics?” Apparently he does, with previous series Turf about mobs, gangsters and vampires (?) already in stores. Although Turf doesn’t really seem to be taking off, Vaughn and a major Hollywood film company are highly interested in The Golden Age, a series about retired long-in-the-tooth superheroes grudgingly having to save the world. It sounds fun, but also extremely done. We’ll just have to wait and see whether Vaughn can breathe some life back into the genre.
Suing the help
Kathryn Stockett, the author of New York Times bestseller, The Help, faces a lawsuit from a woman who claims that the story is unfairly based on her. The novel which was published in 2009 and has spent 97 weeks in the bestsellers list, depicts the lives of African-American maids working in the 1960s American south for white employers. The woman, Ablene Cooper, claims that the character Aibileen Clark was based on her against her wishes, and is now suing for damages. Cooper worked as a maid for Stockett’s brother. The author has made no statement regarding the case, and it remains to be seen whether it will go anywhere. Meanwhile, a film adaptation by Dreamworks looks set to be released this summer.
Making magic
Harry Potter fans will be delighted to know that JK Rowling’s life story is to be made into a straight-to-TV film in the USA. Unusually for the author who has often closely guarded her own privacy, the film called Strange Magic will tell of her life in Edinburgh before and whilst writing the Harry Potter books. With the Australian actress Poppy Montgomery playing the lead role, and Canada doubling as Rowling’s home of Scotland, it seems an extremely international affair. Here at The Yorker, we can’t really imagine Edinburgh being shot anywhere but, well, Edinburgh, but if you can make a studio at Pinewood look like Hogwarts, you can do anything.
Banksy strikes again
It seems the anonymous graffiti artist Banksy has targeted Hollywood, with a slew of artworks appearing around the city of LA ahead of the voting for the Academy Awards. With Banksy’s film Exit Through the Gift Shop a contender in the best documentary category, the well-timed artworks are providing handy publicity for the artist. After a billboard was painted over with an artwork of a drunken and drugged-up Mickey and Minnie Mouse, there was an altercation between a workman hired to take the poster down and an unknown man who repeatedly claimed that the poster was his “property”. No wonder, considering the value of an original Banksy work.
Straight to TV, eh? Strange. I think a Rowling movie would do really well.
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