Yesterday a relieved Max Barry tweeted about his online book being made into a film by director Darren Aronofsky. Barry tweeted “For months I have borne the terrible weight of knowing Darren Aronofsky was attached to direct my movie without being able to brag about it.”
Barry serialised Machine Man posting it on his website as he wrote it and getting feedback from his readers. The movie deal came through in 2009 when Mandalay Pictures had the project “in development”, but Variety reported yesterday that Aronofsky is attached to the project. Aronofsky has made a name for himself by making quirky films like 1998’s Pi, The Wrestler and his forthcoming Black Swan, which the LA Times has called a “supernatural-ballet blend”.
Aronofsky was slated to work on a re-working of the Robocop franchise, but Barry is thrilled to have him on board for the film. Barry wrote on his blog, “Aronofsky is possibly the greatest director in the world. By which I mean, if you wrote a book or a screenplay, and you wanted someone to make it into a film, you would choose him. Because many people can do smart and unsettling and entertaining, but not usually all at once.”
Barry is set to executive produce the silver screen version of Machine Man while the print version of the book will be published by Scribe Publications in September 2011.