So far, Max Brooks has one film adaptation tied to one of his books, 2013s WORLD WAR Z. I know many who love the book, but can’t say the same for the movie version. Brooks actually didn’t want to write the script for the film because he did not feel qualified. Instead it went into the hands of Matthew Michael Carnahan. No blame throwing here. It should have been a mini-series.
There’s another chance on the horizon for the books of Brooks. Sony has acquired the rights to THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS. This one, yet to be released, is a graphic novel that tells the story of…
The Army’s 369th infantry division, an African American unit fighting in Europe during World War I. Breaking down racial barriers, the unit spent more time in combat than any other American unit, never losing a foot of ground to the enemy, or a man to capture, and went on to win countless decorations. Though they returned to the U.S. as heroes, the unit faced tremendous discrimination, even from their own government. The story chronicles their journey from the enlistment lines in Harlem to the training camp at Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the trenches in France.
According to Brooks, his fascination with the true story of these brave soldiers lead him to first make the material into a screenplay that was originally pitched to TNT way back when. They passed and so did everyone else he presented it to. When he brought it to Levar Burton, the actor loved the material saying that Brooks got closer than anyone who had set out to make a film on the subject but Burton didn’t have enough pull to get it made. Finally after work on The Zombie Survival Guide, Brooks decided to turn it into a graphic novel. It’s set to release on April 1, 2014.
Wonder who they will get to direct…
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