Skulduggery Screenplay
Irish Children's author looks set for Movie Magic
MOVIE: Author Derek Landy is heading for Hollywood
Friday June 13 2008
CHILDREN's fantasy author Derek Landy (33) is putting the finishing touches on the screenplay for a Warner Brother's adaptation of his first book.
But the Dubliner is mindful that Hollywood could still reject the movie of Skulduggery Pleasant, the story of a sharply dressed skeleton detective.
"There's no guarantee that it will actually be made. I've been writing the script and the studio likes it," he said, "But Hollywood is fickle.
"If it does well and gets made, in theory there will be one for each of the books."
So far, Derek from Lusk has written two books -- Skulduggery Pleasant and Skulduggery Pleasant -- Playing with Fire
"If they keep selling as well as they have there will be nine books, which is a pretty large order for someone as lazy as me," he said.
Plot
But unlike Harry Potter author JK Rowling, Derek doesn't have the plot for the nine-book series planned out.
"In some places I do and I know what happens in the last book but I don't know all the specifics -- I don't know how it ends," he said.
Skulduggery Pleasant was published by Harper Collins in April 2007.
Lifelong fantasy fan Derek also wrote the script for the 2005 film Boy Eats Girl, starring Samantha Mumba.
"The actual making of it was hysterical -- it was a big and a young cast," said Derek. "Samantha is funny and she's fun and she's cool.
"I never planned to write a kid's book, I always thought I'd make my mark in movies"
But after two and a half years Derek is adjusting to seeing himself as an author. He said the film was the icing but the books were the cake.
"It's a little golden age for children's books and I'm delighted even to be on the outskirts," he added.
- Sarah Neville
