Chris Weitz knows a thing or two about franchises. He helped kick off the "American Pie" series, dipped his toes in "The Twilight Saga" with "New Moon" and tried get things moving with "The Golden Compass," a less-than-pleasurable experience that he has spoken quite candidly about. But Weitz's next effort will find him fully in control of what goes on in the story, though it will be in a new medium for the filmmaker.
The writer/director is now set to make his first literary venture, with publishers Little Brown picking up the rights for "The Young World," a post-apocalyptic trilogy Weitz will write with the first installment set to arrive in the spring of 2014. The story will take place in New York City following a catastrophe in which teenagers are the only survivors, and will chronicle how they survive in a world with no electricity (meaning no Internet, TV, video games), no running water and essentially no leadership.
Of course, this concept sounds pretty ripe for the big screen (even if the premise seems borrowed/inspired from other similar comics/books) and we woudn't be surprised if Hollywood comes calling next, particularly with "The Hunger Games" currently decimating the box office. But are we on the tip of a trend? Weitz joins Charlie Kaufman who also recently announced he was writing a novel. And Darren Aronofsky turned his long-gestating "Noah" into a graphic novel before studios came knocking to get it made. So, your movie Dennis Dugan!
Weitz's project will keep certainly add to his busy work schedule, as he's already signed to two rewrite gigs so far this year, including "Cinderella" for Disney and director Mark Romanek and "Heck" for MGM. [Deadline]