In its first feature-film venture, Amazon has optioned screen rights to Keith Donohue's bestselling novel "The Stolen Child." Amazon will move to secure a filmmaker and then a studio partner to turn the fantasy into a live-action feature.
Company isn't looking to co-finance the film but does bring an intriguing variable to the table: a pledge to use the clout of its site as a marketing tool for the theatrical and DVD launch.
Author's pic deal was made by UTA, which has guided Amazon into such recent showbiz ventures as "Amazon Fishbowl With Bill Maher."
Amazon.com's clout is no guarantee of a hit movie. Lionsgate made Starbucks a partner in "Akeelah and the Bee" in exchange for a marketing campaign; the effort produced no discernible benefit for the film.
Joe Regal, literary agent who represented the author in his book deal with UTA: "This is all a gamble, but if you're going to gamble, why not do something that nobody has done before?" he said. "We could have set an option deal with a studio, but Amazon just understood the book and moved quickly. Having a billion-dollar company with such marketing might behind you is appealing. If they cross-promote the DVD with the book, these are compelling things."
