Game of ThronescreatorsDavid BenioffandD.B. Weisshave teamed with Netflix to develop an adaptation ofRichard Powers' acclaimed novelThe Overstory, which won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Powers' 12th novel is about five trees whose unique life experiences with nine Americans bring them together to address the destruction of forests. It has been described as an “impassioned work of activism and resistance” that is “rooted in environmental principles.”
A representative for Netflix declined to comment regardingThe Overstory.
In a recent interview withthe New York Times, Netflix CEOReed HastingssaidThe Overstorywas the last great book he’d read. “It’s a wonderful example of how great storytelling can help build understanding and empathy. Original and profound. I have to admit that my fiction reading has declined a lot in recent years so our family agreed we would all read together on vacation, and luckilyThe Overstoryis one we chose.”
While Hastings was fascinated by “the interconnectedness of trees” inThe Overstory, he said “I actually don’t know ifThe Overstory, so beautifully told, could be adapted visually,” so Benioff and Weiss will apparently have their work cut out for them, though it’s currently unclear whether they’re planning a movie or a TV series. The duo signed a megadeal with Netflix back in 2019, and are also developing an ambitious adaptation ofLiu Cixin’s acclaimed novelThe Three-Body Problemfor the streamer.
The news regardingThe Overstorywas buried in a Monday morning announcement from Black Bear Pictures and Plan B Entertainment, as the two production companies teamed to acquire film rights to Powers' upcoming novelBewildermentin a highly competitive situation.
That novel is set in the near future amid Earth’s slow deterioration, and follows a widowed father who turns to an experimental neurological treatment in order to save his unusual and somewhat troubled nine-year-old son.Bewildermentis due to be published this fall.
Powers is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and the National Book Award, and his previous works includeThe Echo Maker,Operation Wandering Soul, andThe Gold Bug Variations. He’s represented by CAA and the Melanie Jackson Agency. For more onThe Three-Body Problemand whichStar Warsdirector is involved,click here.
