The Tracking Board is calling it the biggest bidding war of 2016 and so far a lot of Hollywood's A-listers have put their name in the hat for rights to adapt upcoming book Killers of the Flower Moon.
The book, from New Yorker staff writer Grann, isn’t set for publication until June, 2017, but it’s already triggered a feeding frenzy on the rights market. The non-fiction chronicles the real-life 1920s mystery surrounding the suspicious deaths of several Osage Indians, who were at the time among the richest people on the planet. The story follows the twists and turns of the investigation that eventually became the first major case solved by J. Edgar Hoover’s brand new FBI.
Hollywood A-listers George Clooney and Brad Pitt have put bids in through their respected production companies to get territorial rights for the adaptation. As of last night there were at least ten offers on the table from Hollywood heavy hitters like Jerry Bruckheimer, Kathleen Kennedy (Star Wars) and Anonymous Content who are coming down from their best picture win with Spotlight. Several companies are partnering up to increase their chances.
A story like Killers of the Flower Moon is prime material and would ensure that whomever makes the film would have no concerns about finding a high profile festival to debut it at and pending the end result an award contender at the end of the year in which it comes out.