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 Taking the number one spot again is Jumanji:Welcome to the Jungle. It made around $11 million, making the domestic total of $352.6 million. Internationally, it has made $12. 6 million with an international total of $503.1 million. The movie cost only $90 million to make. Jake Kasan directed the movie which stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, and Bobby Cannavale.
With the success of this sequel, the Jumanji author Mr. Chris Van Allsburg has made a deal with 20th Century Fox. The plan is to adapt Hans Christian Anderson Award-nominated novelist's other projects to the movie screen. According to Deadline(deadline.com/2018/02/jumanji-author-chris-van-allsburg-radar-pictures-fox-deal-1202275750/) Teitler quoted, "We look forward, in concert with Fox, to bringing together writers and directors to adapt and translate his (Chris Van Allsburg) work into the medium of film and think this will be an exciting magnet for the entire creative community." The Fox executive, Matt Reilly, managed the deal as he saw franchise opportunities for Mr. Chris Van Allsburg books. So, congrats to Mr. Chris Van Allsburg, for this amazing news. A wise decision on the part of 20th Century Fox for making the deal with the author. This is definitely the right way to go and I know it will be a successful move. It was also 20th Century Fox that took a chance on a self-published novel titled The Martian. I really hope other movie studios take note of this. Second place went to The Maze Runner: The Death Cure(also made by 20th Century Fox) made $10.2 million for a total of $39.8 million. Third place went to CBS Films and Lionsgate's Winchester. Fourth Place went to The Greatest Showman. Fifth place went to Hostiles while sixth place went to The Post(20th Century Fox).
I'll like to introduce my fellow readers to Mr. Nick Ostler, the co-author of Defender of the Realm series. Mr. Nick Ostler (along with his writing partner Mr. Mark Huckerby) has written numerous episodes of TV shows such as Danger Mouse, Peter Rabbit, Shaun the Sheep and Thunderbirds Are Go!. Both Mr. Ostler and Mr. Huckerby has won an Emmy and has been nominated for BAFTA for their writing. They also write movie scripts. So, I hope you get to know Mr. Nick Ostler and what him and his writing partner has in store for younger readers and the younger readers at heart.
1. Could you explain how you (and Mark Huckerby) came up with Defender of the Realm series? We were thinking about superheroes and wondering why there weren't really any memorable British ones - in the UK we've produced more than our fair share of detectives and wizards and spies but not very many homegrown superheroes. Just for fun we tried to think of why a superhero would HAVE to be British. What do we have that the United States, say, doesn't. Then once we hit upon the Royal Family we realised how many tropes they shared with the typical superhero legend - the idea of leading a double life, of becoming someone else through a mystical ritual, gaining 'power', and - in an ideal world - selfless duty to others. What if when you become king or queen you also inherit superpowers and become a superhero? It was a big, silly, ambitious concept and over the years we couldn't shake off the idea, which we thought was a good sign. 2. What challenges did you face while writing Defender of the Realm series? We'd never written a book before, which in hindsight we probably should have been a little more worried about! But we figured that after nearly 20 years of screenwriting together we should know a thing or two about telling a story and the idea of doing something that wasn't a script was exciting. In practical terms the main challenge was finding the time, because unsurprisingly no-one particularly wanted to pay us to write our first book! So it was written in our spare time over a couple of years. But we always had faith that it was a good idea and worth a punt. 3. Would you like to see a film/television adaptation of the Defender of the Realm series? Er… yes, please! We're actually writing the pilot episode right now - which we can't tell you much more about - but watch this space! If it does end up on screen one day we're determined that it should be every bit as big in scope and spectacle as the books - fortunately in the age of Game of Thrones there's nothing you can't do well on TV any more. 4. What was your experience with your writing partner Mark Huckerby on Defender of the Realm series? How was the experience different from working on a screenplay? At first we were really worried that our prose styles might not blend too well. Scriptwriting is all about stripping out style and just telling the story as clearly as you can - which we thought might not work so well for books... But we were pleased to discover that years of writing script outlines and treatments together did mean that we had developed a 'house style'. And we like to think that some of the disciplines we've learned writing for TV - character-driven stories, fast-paced plots, big set pieces - stood us in good stead for writing a fantasy action adventure for 8-12 year olds. 5. Do you ever get writer’s block when writing Defender of the Realm series? What do you do to get back on track? Not really. We always do a really detailed outline first, so we know what should happen in every chapter from beginning to end. It's then fun to fill that plot with the details, lines and beats that occur as we write. Sometimes we needed to stop and do some more research - we've really plundered the UK's vast history for the Defender series and everything referred to in the books in based in fact. That was one of our favourite parts of the process. It also helps having two of us - if one of us is struggling we can just call the other up and thrash it out. 6. Did you know how Defender of the Realm series would end or did it come to you while writing the story? That's a tricky one to answer - we had a three-book arc in our heads that was roughly based on the real story of Alfred the Great's rise, fall and comeback (which is why our modern young king is called Alfie), but it's impossible to work out everything about a new fantasy universe beyond a book or two in advance (and any author who says otherwise is either a liar or a genius!)… so we've certainly changed things as we've gone along to an extent. But yeah, in big picture terms we knew the big beats of our trilogy - but we are still leaving the door ever so slightly ajar at the end of book 3 should we (or our publishers, or - you know - people who read books) decide there is more story to tell. 7. Which of the fictional character (besides Alfie and Hayley) in Defender of the Realm would you love to invite over and have a chat with? I think it would have to be 'LC' - the Lord Chamberlain - because even though he appears to be a little stuffy on the outside, I reckon he's been around for a LONG time and would know some pretty mind-blowing state secrets. And if that failed you could just tell rude jokes to wind him up. 8. What is your writing habit? Do you write in the daytime or night? We've always been pretty boring and conventional for writers - I work normal office hours most of the time and not often at the weekend, unless we're juggling a lot and I need to squeeze in some extra hours. I don't buy that you have to write every day or that you have to neglect family and friends all the time to be a 'proper' writer. It's hard enough without making yourself feel guilty for no good reason. I like working early but just can't work at night any more. My mind's fried by 9pm. 9. What book are you currently reading? I often have two or three on the go depending what I feel like reading that day (but it takes me ages to get through them as I shamefully don't have as much reading time these days as I'd like) - right now I'm reading The Light Jar by Lisa Thompson, which is her second terrific middle grade mystery, and has me hooked, and 'Kind of Blue' by Ken Clarke MP (my degree was Politics and I'm still a bit of a geek for it). Next up I will probably be catching up with Legacy of Spies by John Le Carre and The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman. My favourite books last year were Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood (brilliant MG fantasy cross between Lord of the Rings and Watership Down) and Munich by Robert Harris. 10. What’s next for you? What are you working on now? Apart from the Defender pilot, Mark and I are head writing a new animated TV series called MOOMINVALLEY - based on the much loved Moomin novels by Finnish author/illustrator Tove Jansson - if you don't know them, they are strange, hilarious, imaginative and beguiling tales of a family of 'Moomintrolls' and the weird and wonderful friends and creatures they live alongside in a mysterious valley where anything can happen. Apart from being beautiful and funny, they have a great deal to say about tolerance, family life, love of nature and how to deal with disasters. There is a fantastic production team turning them into 22 minute episodes which will air from the end of 2018. We think and hope it will be an amazing series. Aside from that we have various feature projects in the works, including an animated family movie we hope will go into production soon. 11. Which filmmaker do you admire or inspire your work? Wow - so many. As a child, the first filmmaker who I probably realised had a 'voice' was Terry Gilliam and he remains a huge inspiration. The films Mark and I bonded over years ago were things like Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2 and James Cameron's Aliens - the sci-fi and horror movies of the 80s/90s were huge for us. And although I like to think my taste has matured over the years (well, a bit!), I still love escapist movies the most - if it has a monster in it then I'm probably onboard. But right now my head is in BAFTA-voting mode and this year I've been blown away by the writing and directing of Paul King & Simon Farnaby (PADDINGTON 2), Taika Waititi, Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost (THOR: RAGNAROK), Kathryn Bigelow & Mark Boal (DETROIT) Martin McDonagh (THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI), Liz Hannah, Steven Spielberg, & Josh Singer (THE POST), Anthony McCarten & Joe Wright (THE DARKEST HOUR), Craig Gillespie and Steven Rogers (I, TONYA), and David Soren & Nicholas Stoller (CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE). My film of the year was Jordan Peele's GET OUT which had both Mark and I shrieking and laughing in equal measure in the cinema - just brilliant. 12. When you are writing a screenplay, how much do you think about how your text will be translated into a visual medium? A lot, but it's hard to think about everything at once - you have to start with story, then structure and theme, before you get into exactly how to tell it visually - but of course in the writing you're constantly playing and replaying how it should look onscreen beat by beat in order to convey the meaning you're going for, and crucially how you transition from scene to scene, while accepting that it's up to the director to interpret what you end up writing. 13. Which one is more challenging for you: writing a novel or writing a screenplay? Well we have more experience writing for the screen, so I guess we still feel more confident there, but in many ways a novel feels a lot more fun (I hesitate to describe any sort of writing as 'easy'!)… maybe that's just because it's still a novelty for us, or maybe it's because you have so much more space and time in a book, and you can hear what characters are thinking (which for a screenwriter is AMAZING) and frankly you have a lot more control over a book than you do a screenplay - filming anything is expensive and that means you have many more people looking over your shoulder the whole time, which can be stressful. 14. Were you ever on set for the making of Howl or Don’t Knock Twice? If so, could you tell me what scene you were present at that is very memorable to you? Yes. They were both low budget productions shot in the UK and we got on well with the directors so we were lucky enough to get to visit the sets a few times. On HOWL the most memorable would have to be the opening scene in which Joe the young ticket inspector (Ed Speleers) checks the passengers' tickets, because I got to be an extra (channeling my best 'grumpy commuter' - not much of a stretch for me, tbh) and after about an hour of watching the poor crew trying to get a small dog to bark on cue, I recalled that most of filming is sitting around waiting for someone to call 'Action!'. It's a privilege and thrill to see something you wrote being brought to life, but honestly I prefer sitting at my desk writing - I couldn't be a director. On Don't Knock Twice I remember watching a very emotional, intense scene between our incredible lead Katee Sackhoff and a little known young actor called Lucy Boynton and thinking how she was going to be a big star one day (which seems to be happening!) 15. In your experience, what would you say it takes to be a successful screenwriter? Hard work, determination, high standards, being 'good in the room' as well as on the page, and above all time. 16. Last question, does Mark Huckerby have any unique or quirky writing habits? If not, do you have any unique or quirky writing habits? This is such a golden opportunity that I am almost dizzy with the possibilities… but rather than making up something HILARIOUS and untrue, I'll go with his APPALLING abuse of apostrophes, the correction of which is reason enough for him to have a writing partner, frankly. Thanks to Mr. Nick Ostler for sharing this info with us and I hope everything is going smoothly with writing Defender of the Realm: King's Army as well as your upcoming novels/screenplays. I'm really anticipating to hear more news about the adaptation of the Defender of the Realm series. Also, all the best to Mr. Ostler and Mr. Mark Huckerby with writing the script for Moominvalley . As for those reading this, I hope you give this book series a chance and see why it's a page-turner. For more info on Mr. Ostler and his latest novel/project visit his website: www.ostlerandhuckerby.com/about.php Take care as always and have a happy read.
Disney studio is retelling E.T.A Hoffman's short story. The movie, coming out on November 2, 2018, will be retitled The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Lasse Hastrom is directing the feature while Keira Knightley (Sugar Plum), Morgan Freeman (godfather Drosselmeyer), Helen Mirren (Mother Ginger), Jayden Fowara-Knight (Phillip), Misty Copeland (the ballerina), and Mackenzie Foy as the lead character Clara.
The 1816 short story is titled The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and it has been adapted numerous times. Here is Wikipedia's brief summary of the original tale and its first adaptation: A young Marie Stahlbaum's favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. In 1892, the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov turned Alexandre Dumas père's adaptation of the story into the ballet The Nutcracker. Source: www.disney.com/
The film adaptation of Spontaneous has discovered their female lead (Mara Carlye) and her name is Katherine Langford. She's in Netflix's drama 13 reasons why and has been nominated for that role in the Golden Globe. Spontaneous is a YA novel written by author (and a twitter friend of mine) Mr. Aaron Starmer. You can check out the excellent interview that he previously did on my blog by clicking this link:novelpro.weebly.com/latest-news/interview-with-aaron-starmer-the-author-of-spontaneous All I can say to Mr. Aaron Starmer is a huge congrats on the latest news and I can't wait to hear more update about the film process. I really hope everything turns out excellent. So, to end this post, I hope you listen to YouTube excerpt of Spontaneous so that you could get a taste of this superb novel. Hopefully you would read the book or stick to audio book (whatever fit your liking.) Take care as always and I hope your day went well. 
I'll like for everyone to take a look into the world that Ms. Lani Sarem created in Handbook for Mortals. As you can see from the trailer you'll experience romance, adventure, and intrigue. So take this time to get to know the latest author here at novelpro.weebly.com...
1. Could you tell me about yourself? Sure what would you like to know? I'm an actress, writer, producer and former band manager. I've been in the entertainment business since I was 15. 2. Could you give a brief summary about the first book to Handbook for Mortals series? It's about a young woman to goes to Las Vegas to work for a magic show...but she can do REAL magick. Her mom reads tarot cards and her wish is to just get to have a somewhat normal life. There's also some danger and love triangle. 3. What makes Handbook for Mortals series different from other YA fantasy novels? Well it's not actually a YA book I guess even though the NY times labeled it that...the characters are in their 20's...but besides that I think there are some cool twists that you will find in the book that you don't see I think in a lot of other books...but you gotta read it to find out. 4. How many books would be in the series? Right now there are 5 planned...but I could see it going to 7...gonna see how it's going by book 4. 5. First of all, congratulations on your book getting optioned, will you be involved in the production in any way? Thanks and yes I'm producing the film with Thomas Ian Nicholas...and I just may be playing a part as well! :) 6. Would you like to make a cameo in the film adaptation? I'm pretty sure that will be happening! :) 7. Which author would you love to invite over and chat with? Can it be anyone? dead or alive? if either than Charles Bukowski or CS Lewis...if alive than Neil Gaiman or Joyce Maynard. 8. Why did you decide to choose this genre as your first novel? Magic is and has always been a big part of my life...so I gravitate to that and I love stories about shows and the crews behind the shows... 9. What is your greatest accomplishment so far? This book probably...I'm pretty proud of it... 10. What book (besides yours) do you think everyone should read before he or she dies? The chronicles of Narnia....I know that's a series but I can't really pick one out of that. 11. In what way did being an actress help you write the first book to Handbook for Mortals? I think I can think about what it's like to BE someone else and write about that. Not everyone knows how to think as someone else...but as actors, we have to... 12. Could you explain the situation about your novel and its removal from the New York Times best-seller list? Well, I'm the only person that's ever had that happen to them...people jumped to a lot of conclusions without all the facts and then started saying things that weren't even close to being true...I hope people will take the time to understand what really happened and enjoy the book for what it is.... 13. For those who haven’t heard of your book Handbook for Mortals, why do you think he or she should get it? If you like fun urban fantasies and both kinds of magic(k)....then you will love story... 14. Last question, if you could have supernatural power for a day, what would it be and why? That's a tough one...being able to print money sounds fun or travel back in time! but I might actually pick reading peoples minds cause I'd really love to know what some people are REALLY thinking :) I really like to thank Ms. Lani Sarem for answering those questions. If you find her novel interesting you can get the book Handbook for Mortals where books are sold. Thanks for visiting my blog once again and I hope you come back again. Take care:) Interview with Ms. Kendare Blake, author of One Dark Throne (the sequel to Three Dark Crowns)9/30/2017
Isn't that book trailer captivating? If that trailer doesn't get you to the bandwagon then you are missing out on something special. I'm just honored that Ms. Kendare Blake was able to give up her time to do an interview for her latest book, One Dark Throne. You guys should surely get it and experience this unique fantasy sequel. 1. First off, describe your experience during Solar Eclipse Day (Aug. 21, 2017)? Well, it wasn't too exciting. We kept the dogs inside so we wouldn't have to fit them with doggles, and just noted how odd the light got. And then it was over. 2. Could you give us an interesting fun fact about One Dark Throne? I re-wrote it once. And in the first draft, fewer people died. 3. What challenges did you face writing the sequel to Three Dark Crowns? Sequels are easier in a way, because the world and the conflicts have been established and simmering. But One Dark Throne was meant to be a series ender as well, and endings are always rough. Then we decided to extend the series by two more books, so I was actually able to go back in and leave a few smaller plot lines open. So it was all less tied up in a bow. 4. In one word how would you summed up One Dark Throne? Ascension. 5. Could you give a brief description of your favorite scene from One Dark Throne? (make it as spoiler-free as possible) I love dialogue. I love the scenes where characters finally come face to face and start to understand each other. 6. Could you give a sneak peek about any new character in One Dark Throne? Sure. She's a chicken. A pretty, brown chicken. 7. What is your favorite book-to-movie adaptation? Too hard! The Shawshank Redemption is a great adaptation. So is the Neverending Story, though the author disagrees. I'm really, REALLY excited for the new IT. Though I did love the original IT, too. 8. What was the last book you gave to someone as a gift? I gave my best friend Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics, because it's like Stephen King wrote Little House on the Prairie, and my friend LOVES Little House. 9. What television show do you think doesn’t get its due? Penny Dreadful. I adored that show. Eva Green is transcendent. And it made me like Josh Hartnett again, which was previously inconceivable. 10. What was the scariest book you’ve ever read? Pet Sematary? I don't know. I don't scare easy. 11. Which book (besides yours of course) have you read that made you laugh a lot? Anything by Lish McBride. She's hysterical. Highly recommend her new one: PYROMANTIC. About a girl who controls fire and works for a shady, magic mafia. She has a friend who is a sexy were-fox. A vain, sexy were-fox. You can't beat it. 12. Did you ever listen to music while writing One Dark Throne? Afraid not. I find music too distracting. 13. What book do you like to read over and over again? LOTS. Jane Eyre, Anne Rice, various Stephen King passages, the Iliad, etc. I don't actually have a lot of time for re-reading anymore, with so much new reading to do! 14. Last question, could you share a quote or two that inspire or motivate you in life? I despise myself, yet I also esteem myself as one who despises. - Nietzsche. I probably messed that quote up, and I don't find it all that inspiring. But it amuses me. And there you have it. Another delightful interview from a fantastic author. I greatly appreciate her for doing this and I hope those reading this would read what this unique, fantasy series is all about. The first book being Three Dark Crowns and now the sequel One Dark Throne. Both books are already available where books are sold. Thanks for visiting my blog once again and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Keep calm and read more books:) To read my previous blog interview with Ms. Kendare Blake about Three Dark Crowns, click the link: novelpro.weebly.com/latest-news/-interview-with-kendare-blake-author-of-three-dark-crowns |
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