Jeff Bridges had originally hoped that an adaptation of the popular young adult novel The Giver would be a project for his father Lloyd Bridges. Sadly, Lloyd passed away in 1998. It’s clear though that Jeff Bridges has been watching this project for years and now at 61 years old, he can finally see himself in the lead role.
Variety reports that after a four year wait for the rights to Lois Lowry‘s teen-centric sci-fi novel, Bridges and his producer friend Nikki Silver have finally secured the rights and have plans to move forward with House of Sand and Fog writer-director Vadim Perelman working on the script adaptation and possibly directing.
The Giver tells the story of a 12 year old boy who lives in a utopian society free of war and crime. The boy is chosen to be the new Giver, the carrier of all of the secrets of society. Bridges would play the role of the current Giver who trains the young boy to take his place. The novel by Lois Lowry was a bestseller in 1993 and was awarded the 1994 Newberry Medal for the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature.
Jeff Bridges was not the first actor to try and bring The Giver to the big screen. In 1994 Bill Cosby held the rights to the novel with plans to make a movie but it fell through as the production budget swelled. Walden Media, the company behind movies like Because of Winn Dixie and The Chronicles of Narnia, also attempted an adaptation in 2006 but bowed out over cost. Warner Brothers held the rights to the film for four years with little to no action on an adaptation after having spent one million dollars for the rights to the book.
For now, Jeff Bridges is in post-production on the animated movie Pablo and is committed to the 2013 summer blockbuster R.I.P.D with Ryan Reynolds and the supernatural drama The Seventh Son with Julianne Moore and Ben Barnes. Writer-director Vadim Perelman meanwhile, is currently at work on his first film in four years, The Song of Names with the powerhouse duo of Anthony Hopkins and Dustin Hoffman in the lead roles.