I've always loved Mike White. He's been one of Hollywood's most consistent writers over the past few years, and he really hit a high point with the genius 2003 movie The School of Rock. Later next year he'll make his directorial debut with Year of the Dog, but Variety says Paramount likes him so much they're already working to get him another film.
To do that, they've picked up the rights for a book called "Moonwalking With Einstein". The book doesn't even actually exist yet. It won't even be published until 2009, but they're not waiting around. Paramount has grabbed it based solely on a proposal, with the intention of turning it over to Mike White.
The idea is that it'll be the story of a journalist who discovers the world of competitive memorizers. He spends a year learning their techniques, and then goes on to become an actual competitor who wins the U.S. and World Memory Championships.
If White steps in and makes this a comedy, it could be really funny. Or, it could be 90 minutes of watching a guy try to memorize the World Book Encyclopedia.
