BERLIN — Michael Simon de Normier, an associate producer on Stephen Daldry’s “The Reader” has optioned the film rights to Heike Gortemaker’s new, groundbreaking biography “Eva Braun Life with Hitler.”
De Normier is planning an English-language adaptation of the book, which provides a radically different portrayal of Eva Braun from her first meetings with Adolf Hitler to their joint suicide in 1945.
“She was not the little dumb blond that she is usually shown to be,” Gortemaker told THR. “She was a key member of Hitler’s inner circle and an important part of the Nazi propaganda machine.”
The book, which was published in Germany last week, is the first academic biography of Braun and is expected to be a bestseller. De Normier wasted no time in acquiring the rights, signing the option with publisher C.H.Beck Verlag on Friday (Feb. 19).
De Normier told THR he is currently scouting for a director and screenwriter for the project. He hopes to produce the film as an international production through his SenfKorn Film shingle with a projected budget in the $20 million – $30 million range.
