On a daily basis, I receive multiple emails, wall posts, and tweets asking me if there will be a Soulkeepers movie. Actually, they range from cheers of "MOVIE! MOVIE! MOVIE!" to demands of "You MUST make a Soulkeepers movie!" Because this question has become so frequent, I can no longer respond to inquiries on an individual basis and have decided to write a post about it.Will there be a Soulkeepers movie? My answer is: I hope...someday.
Authors have remarkably little control over whether their work becomes a movie. People in the film industry buy the option to make a book into a film, and then can decide whether to make the film or not. Over the last year, I've been approached by several interested parties asking about the film rights to the Soulkeepers, but as of today, no one has purchased the option.
Your next question might be, why not?
I can only speculate about why an interested party might not follow through on an inquiry. The series has sold over 100,000 copies. The books are in the top 10 in Sci Fi and Fantasy series and have held that position for most of the year. But here are some things that have crossed my mind.
- The books are cross-genre which can be difficult to market effectively and, similar to Golden Compass, is spiritual but not precisely Christian.
- The esoteric themes in the book might be a challenge for a screenwriter to capture
- The series' steady sales aren't as flashy as immediate or NYT best sellers
- Angels and demons play a role in the story, and people are fearful that these characters have been or will be overdone in film (similar to vampires)
- I don't have literary representation... yet (I'm looking. Referrals welcome)
I want to thank those readers who have and continue to spread the word about The Soulkeepers. If a film is optioned and eventually made, it will be because of you. For my part, I remain open to all serious inquiries. My dream is to have a better answer for you in the future, but until then, the only answer I can give you is "I hope...someday."
