NEW YORK -- Warner Independent Pictures has signed "House" executive producers Garrett Lerner and Russel Friend to adapt Brock Clarke's best-seller "An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England."

The dark comedy from John Wells Prods. centers on Sam Pulsifer, a man who accidentally burns down Emily Dickinson's home and kills two people in the process. After 10 years in prison and a series of personal and professional disasters, he returns home to live with his parents, only to discover that he's suspected in a series of nearby fires at historical landmarks. He attempts to find the real criminal and uncovers some family secrets as the mystery unfolds.

Lerner and Friend's experience writing many "House" episodes seems to make them a perfect fit for the material, given the Fox series' witty take on crime mysteries. Lerner also co-wrote the upcoming sci-fi feature "Repossession Mambo" for Universal and producer Scott Stuber.

JWP's John Wells and Claire Rudnick Polstein are producing, and Lisa Morales is exec producing. WIP's Lauren Craniotes and Richard Gold are overseeing it for the studio.

Lerner and Friend are repped by UTA.

Warner Independent equips 'Arsonist'

'House' producers on board for the adaptation of Brock Clarke's best-seller

By Gregg Goldstein

April 25, 2008, 01:00 AM