Ridley and Tony Scott acquire rights to online book sensation Wool

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Here’s an inspirational story for all of you authors looking to self-publish: 20th Century Fox has just acquired the film rights to WOOL, which began life as a self-published e-book on Amazon. Written by Hugh Howey, it’s a high-concept novel set in a stark future where the air outside is no longer breathable, so the last community on Earth lives underground in an enormous silo.

Ridley and Tony Scott’s Scott Free are partnering on the deal with Film Rites’ Steve Zaillian and Garrett Basch.

Here’s a full description of WOOL: They live beneath the earth in a prison of their own making. There is a view of the outside world, a spoiled and rotten world, their forefathers left behind. But this view fades over time, ruined by the toxic airs that kill any who brave them.

So they leave it to the criminals, those who break the rules, and who are sent to cleaning. Why do they do it, these people condemned to death? Sheriff Holston has always wondered. Now he is about to find out.

The first Wool story was released as a standalone short in July of 2011. Due to reviewer demand, the rest of the story was released over the next six months.

WOOL has become a word-of-mouth sensation since the author self-published on Amazon.com, garnering over 600 five-star reviews and selling over 140,000 copies through e-book in just under six months. Century is the author’s only English-language publisher as the author will continue to self-publish in the US. Century will publish in hardback in January 2013 with an Arrow paperback in August. Ebook will be available immediately.