Columbus (WME, Hansen Jacobson) and "CSI" veteran Carol Mendelsohn will reboot classic Western "The Rifleman" for CBS. Columbus will direct and executive produce alongside Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier, who will both write.
PRPP/NewscomFilmmaker Chris Columbus‘ 1492 Pictures has acquired the rights to John Grisham‘s bestselling baseball novel Calico Joe. Columbus will adapt the book and direct the feature.
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The novel, which was released by Doubleday April 10, is set in the world of Major League Baseball and centers on baseball player Joe Castle and his father. The book debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
“When I finished this beautiful, deeply moving novel, I immediately started to see the movie in my head,” Columbus said in a statement. “I knew that I had to write and direct Calico Joe. The story deals with universal themes of betrayal, tragedy and redemption. It has the potential to be a classic film and I am honored to be a part of it.”
Grisham will executive produce and Columbus will produce with his partners — 1492 Pictures’ President Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe.
Columbus’ producing credits include The Help and the first three Harry Potter films. His directing credits include the first two Harry Potter films, Rent, Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire. Also coming up for the filmmaker is the screen adaptation of Michael Koryta’s novel The Cypress House, which Columbus will write and 1492 will produce.
Columbus and 1492 are represented by WME. Grisham is repped by David Gernert of the Gernert Company.
Email: Daniel.Miller@THR.com
Twitter: @DanielNMiller
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