Novels being adapted to TV shows is all the rage these days, and with the success of dramas like Game of Thrones, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and Dexter, who can blame networks and studios for expressing interest in exploring the adaptation avenue. At the very least, it's a more interesting and slightly more original road to take than remakes. Recently, we shared word that the CW had its eye on Battle Royale as a possible adaptation project. And now comes word that another 90s novel, which later got the feature treatment, is being considered for a TV adaptation.
Deadline is reporting that Fox has bought The Beach, a drama project written by Andrew Miller, based on the 1996 novel and 2000 film of the same name. Miller knows a thing or two about adapting a novel to a TV series, having written the original script for The CW's The Secret Circle (based on L.J Smith's book series). 20th Century Fox TV is producing, which is fitting as Twentieth Century Fox produced the movie.
Written by Alex Garland, The Beach follows a young traveler who visits Bangkok and seeks out an exclusive and legendary beach that's kept a secret from tourists. When he and a duo of French travelers manage to find the place, they decide to stay, but Richard soon discovers that life among the other Beach residents isn't quite as perfect as it seemed at first. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tilda Swinton starred in the movie, which was directed by Danny Boyle.
Granted, I read the book after seeing the movie, but I remember thinking Boyle did a good job with the adaptation. And though the film came out more than a decade ago (and the book a bit closer to two decades), I don't think the story is all that dated. At least, not so much that it couldn't be updated and adapted to a modern day series. In fact, in this age of Facebook and cell phones, it's even easier to see why some people might want to separate themselves from modern society and attempt to adapt a simpler (and very secluded) way of life in their own private slice of paradise. There's definite potential for this project if they work it right. At the very least, I have an easier time seeing this working as a TV show than I do Battle Royale.
