Styler firm top dog for 'Grk' books
Styler gets 'Grk' rights
SepT 1, 2006
Producer Trudie Styler has acquired film rights for her Xingu Films production company to Joshua Doder's "Grk" children's book trilogy.
The deal covers the British author's "A Dog Called Grk," "Grk and the Pelotti Gang" and "Grk and the Hot Dog Trail."
In the books, which have been compared to the Tin-Tin comics series, a dog teams with 12-year-old Tim Malt to fight an evil dictator in Eastern Europe, chase dangerous criminals in South America and pursue other adventures in exotic locations around the world.
"Our hero is not Harry Potter," actress-turned-producer Styler said. "He's not James Bond. There are no hyper-real things or great gadgets and gin. He's a citizen who does the right thing and becomes a young activist. The stories are wildly entertaining and set in exotic places. It's done with the broad stroke of high adventure."
Styler, the politically active spouse of pop star Sting, discovered the books through her 12-year-old son. "I've done a lot of work with human rights," she said, "and this is the first thing I've seen that covers the need to entertain our children while letting them know that they live in a world that is not safe for a lot of its children. It's a jumping board to introduce the concept that not everyone is as fortunate as we are. Each book examines the geo-political state of a country."
These adventure films will require "a good budget," said Styler, who already has received an expression of interest from activist Participant Prods. She is seeking a screenwriter.
Styler first turned her charity fundraiser skills toward producing with the Tiananmen Square documentary "Moving the Mountian," directed by Michael Apted, and "Boys From Brazil," a film about Brazilian transsexual prostitutes. She moved into fiction with "The Grotesque," starring Alan Bates, Sting and Theresa Russell. Styler went on to back "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," "Greenfingers" and "Snatch." Styler then had Dito Montiel direct the screen version of his autobiography "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" by bringing in Robert Downey Jr. The film, which Styler will accompany to the Venice Film Festival, will be released in the fall by First Look Pictures Releasing.
The deal covers the British author's "A Dog Called Grk," "Grk and the Pelotti Gang" and "Grk and the Hot Dog Trail."
In the books, which have been compared to the Tin-Tin comics series, a dog teams with 12-year-old Tim Malt to fight an evil dictator in Eastern Europe, chase dangerous criminals in South America and pursue other adventures in exotic locations around the world.
"Our hero is not Harry Potter," actress-turned-producer Styler said. "He's not James Bond. There are no hyper-real things or great gadgets and gin. He's a citizen who does the right thing and becomes a young activist. The stories are wildly entertaining and set in exotic places. It's done with the broad stroke of high adventure."
Styler, the politically active spouse of pop star Sting, discovered the books through her 12-year-old son. "I've done a lot of work with human rights," she said, "and this is the first thing I've seen that covers the need to entertain our children while letting them know that they live in a world that is not safe for a lot of its children. It's a jumping board to introduce the concept that not everyone is as fortunate as we are. Each book examines the geo-political state of a country."
These adventure films will require "a good budget," said Styler, who already has received an expression of interest from activist Participant Prods. She is seeking a screenwriter.
Styler first turned her charity fundraiser skills toward producing with the Tiananmen Square documentary "Moving the Mountian," directed by Michael Apted, and "Boys From Brazil," a film about Brazilian transsexual prostitutes. She moved into fiction with "The Grotesque," starring Alan Bates, Sting and Theresa Russell. Styler went on to back "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," "Greenfingers" and "Snatch." Styler then had Dito Montiel direct the screen version of his autobiography "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" by bringing in Robert Downey Jr. The film, which Styler will accompany to the Venice Film Festival, will be released in the fall by First Look Pictures Releasing.
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