Adapting a novel for film seems like a very particular talent to have, and it is a talent that screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber are awash in. The duo recently received accolades for penning the screenplay for James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now, based on the novel by Tim Tharp. Their next project sounds like it could be a great follow-up.
Next up, Neustadter and Weber will be adapting the 2011 novelRules of Civility, states The Hollywood Reporter, which makes this their fifth book-to-film adaptation. The novel, written by Boston native Amor Towles, was on the bestseller charts for nearly eight months, and was a favorite of both Oprah Winfrey and The Wall Street Journal, so it was naturally a highly-sought out property. It ended up taking the president of Lionsgate eight months of convincing Towles in order to get the rights. So for this particular writing team to get the job speaks quite highly of their skills.
After gaining popularity with their spec script (500) Days of Summer, Neustadter and Weber went on to Spectacular Now, then finished up a script for Rosaline, which is adapted from the modernized Romeo and Juliet romance When You Were Mine, from author Rebecca Serle. They’ve also been working on adapting the young adult sensation The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, which will certainly jerk a few tears out of audiences whenever that makes it to cinemas. And finally, they’ve also been working on a script for Where’d You Go, Bernadette, the familial comedy novel from Maria Semple. Phew!
Rules of Civility is a 1930s period piece that follows a Wall Street secretary up the ladder to success, and examines how the spontaneity of our decisions can change our lives forever.
