Taika Waititi is tackling one of literature’s most iconic stories and will add his spin on an already wild new take on Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
According to a report from Variety, Universal Pictures has acquired the feature film rights to James, Percival Everett’s latest book. Steven Spielberg will executive produce the movie through his company, Amblin Partners. Everett will also EP and pen the script, while Waititi is now in talks about directing.
Variety notes that James is seen as a reframing of the classic story from the “point of view of Jim, an enslaved man who floats down the Mississippi River with teenaged Finn, a good friend of Tom Sawyer.” The book description reads: “While many narrative set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place…Jim’s agency, intelligence, and compassion are shown in a radically new light.”
Waititi is coming off Next Goal Wins, his long-delayed sports comedy, which came and went last awards season. He recently wrapped up production on Klara and the Sun, set to star Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams. The filmmaker is also attached to a still-untitled Star Wars film.
If you’re unfamiliar with Taika Waititi, he’s a New Zealand filmmaker best known for What We Do In The Shadows, Thor: Ragnarok, and Jojo Rabbit. He’s often described as quirky and outlandish and has a distinct comedic voice.
James is a New York Times bestseller and can be found wherever books are sold. There’s no timeline as yet for the film’s production.
