Paul Auster's **Timbuktu **has been picked up by Lakeshore Entertainment. The novel is told through the eyes of Mr Bones, a dog struggling to come to terms with the imminent death of his master, a homeless poet called Willy G. Christmas, with whom he embarks on a final journey.
Despite being one of America's most prolific writers, Auster's books have largely been ignored by Hollywood, possibly because they rarely offer readily-adaptable, linear narratives While not one of his very best (check out New York Trilogy, a triptych of interlocking detective stories with a Hammett-esque flavour), **Timbuktu ** is at once whimsical and pretty profound, and could make an interesting exception.
Lakeshore, the production company most recently behind The Ugly Truth (boo!) and Crank: High Voltage (f#*king yay!), have the task of reshaping the quirky tale into something cinema-worthy. Having brought Chev Chelios back from the dead, it would seem nothing's beyond them. They've hired Emmy-winner Diane English (The Women) to adapt and direct the story.