If you’ve never heard of Cory Doctorow’s ace young adult speculative fiction novel Little Brother, we urge you to read it – especially as he gives it away for free online. Transformers producer Don Murphy, however, will be hoping you buy tickets to see a film version of the book, since he’s exercising his option to shove it on screen.
While The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision Blog is slapping “exclusive” on their story, we’d point out that news of the rights sale was, er, reported last June by Doctorow himself on his website.
But that doesn’t change the fact that the novel – a pungent, probing look at how absolute power can corrupt absolutely in the wake of a terrorist attack on San Francisco as seen through the eyes of a high school tech head – is bursting with promise for a possible film.
And despite Doctorow’s free-to-all policy, the book still managed to hit the New York Times best-seller list.
There’s no word yet on who’ll write or direct this thing, but Murphy’s hunting down the right talent even now.