Pulitzer author’s “Bewilderment” set for Black Bear & Plan B in Fall

Curated by Screenmancer Staff

LOS ANGELES: In a highly competitive situation, Black Bear Pictures and Plan B Entertainment have acquired the rights to Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winning novelist Richard Powers’ upcoming novel, Bewilderment, to be adapted for feature film. Author Richard Powers commented: ““I’m thrilled that this book about a deeply visual boy attuned to the magic of living things will itself get a chance to become visual magic.”

The adaptation of the much-anticipated follow-up to The Overstory, for which Powers received his Pulitzer, will be financed by Black Bear Pictures (The Imitation Game, Mudbound, upcoming I Care a Lot), who will also develop and produce alongside Plan B Entertainment (Minari, Moonlight, 12 Years a Slave).

In the near future amidst Earth’s slow deterioration, a widowed father of a most unusual and troubled nine-year-old boy turns to an experimental neurological treatment in order to save his son. The novel, which is due to be published in Fall of 2021 by W.W. Norton & Company, is described by the publisher as “offering soaring descriptions of the natural world, tantalizing visions of life beyond it, and the fierce love of a father for his young son.”

Powers is a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for his acclaimed novel The Overstory. Described as an “historian of contemporary society” by Peter Brooks, that work is currently being developed by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for Netflix. Powers is the author of twelve novels and the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and the National Book Award. A few of his most notable works include The Echo Maker, Operation Wandering Soul, The Gold Bug Variations, and Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance. 

Black Bear’s Head of Film Leigh Kittay said: “With its first few pages, Powers’ novel completely captivated us and with its last, it bowled us over. Powers creates a texture and specificity to our future that feels simultaneously sweepingly large and breathtakingly intimate, told through the most relatable point of view: the ferocious love of a parent for his child and his struggle to provide him a better tomorrow. We at Black Bear are honored to bring this beautiful story to the big screen and couldn’t have better producing partners than our friends at Plan B.” (Powers is represented by CAA and Melanie Jackson Agency.)

Black Bear’s current slate includes: J Blakeson’s thriller I Care A Lot, starring Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza Gonzalez, and Dianne Wiest, which was acquired by Netflix following its lauded TIFF 2020 premiere, and will release February 19; Heidi Ewing’s I Carry You With Me, which won the Audience and Innovator Awards in the Next section at Sundance and will be released by Sony Pictures Classics later this month; Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Our Friend starring Dakota Johnson, Jason Segel and Casey Affleck, which will release January 22; Chad Hartigan’s Little Fish starting Olivia Cooke and Jack O’Connell, which was recently acquired by IFC Films and will be released in February; and Dave Franco’s directorial debut The Rental, released by IFC last year. Black Bear TV also recently acquired the rights to Naoise Dolan’s debut novel Exciting Times for premium television and a limited series called “Angels & Demons” with Scott Cooper.

The multi-Academy Award winning Plan B has produced The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford, The Tree of Life, World War Z, The Normal Heart, Selma, The Big Short, If Beale Street Could Talk, Vice and the recently released Irresistible from director Jon Stewart. Recently released films include Miranda July’s Kajillionaire at Focus Features and Minari from Lee Isaac Chung at A24. Plan B recently announced, along with MGM, a feature film adaption of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer, to be produced by Plan B, Harpo Films and Kamilah Forbes; Academy Awardâ-nominee Sarah Polley’s feature adaptation of Miriam Toews’ bestselling novel Women Talking for Polley to write and direct, with Academy Awardâ-winner Frances McDormand set to star and produce; an original sweeping love story from writer and director Lee Isaac Chung; and Cory Finley’s film adaptation of National Book Award winner M.T. Anderson’s novel Landscape With Invisible Hands to write and direct and Annapurna Pictures to produce with Plan B.

This is Black Bear Pictures…

Black Bear Pictures develops, produces and finances original and engaging content for film and television. Since its 2011 launch, Black Bear’s slate has grossed over $350 million worldwide, been nominated for thirteen Academy Awards^®, nine Golden Globes^®, ten BAFTAs^®, and premiered at such prestigious festivals as Cannes, Sundance, Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York, and London. Black Bear’s library includes such films as: The Imitation Game, Mudbound, All Is Lost, The Rental, Suburbicon and Ben Is Back.

In addition, Black Bear owns Elevation Pictures Corp, the leading independent film and TV distribution company in Canada, and recently entered into a strategic distribution partnership with STX Entertainment and Elevation Pictures, creating an exclusive output deal for STXinternational to sell and distribute all Black Bear productions internationally, with Elevation Pictures distributing all STX productions in Canada.

For more information: www.blackbearpictures.com, Instagram: @blackbearpics, Twitter: @blackbearpics

Plan B Entertainment is Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner & Jeremy Kleiner et al

Headed by Brad Pitt and co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Plan B Entertainment is a long-standing film and television production company. Their body of work includes: The Tree of Life, World War Z, 12 Years a Slave, The Normal Heart, Selma, The Big Short, Moonlight, Feud: Bette and Joan, Beautiful Boy, If Beale Street Could Talk, Vice, Ad Astra, The King and Irresistible. Most recently, the company released Miranda July’s Kajillionair and the series The Third Day for HBO. In the coming months, they will release Lee Issac Chung’s Minari for A24, Andrew Dominik’s Blonde for Netflix, and Barry Jenkins’ series The Underground Railroad for Amazon.

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