Eruption takes readers on a thrilling journey through Hawaii’s biggest island, which, unbeknown to its residents, hides dangerous military secrets dating back decades.
There has been no formal screen auction yet - but Sherri Crichton, who discovered her late husband’s unfinished manuscript over a decade ago and controls his estate, told BBC News she was now in talks with Steven Spielberg about a possible big-screen adaptation.
Sherri knew Patterson, the world’s biggest thriller writer, who has read all of Crichton’s novels, was the one she wanted. And after being sent the unfinished manuscript the 77-year-old signed up to complete it.
They had to go through reams of “meticulously organised” scientific research, some so dense Patterson had to hire a researcher, in Alaska, to help.
And in under a year, this “unprecedented literary collaboration” was completed.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton died from cancer over 15 years ago - now, his unfinished “passion project”, about a humanity-threatening volcanic eruption, has been completed by fellow literary giant James Patterson and is already generating heated interest in Hollywood.Eruption takes readers on a thrilling journey through Hawaii’s biggest island, which, unbeknown to its residents, hides dangerous military secrets dating back decades.There has been no formal screen auction yet - but Sherri Crichton, who discovered her late husband’s unfinished manuscript over a decade ago and controls his estate, told BBC News she was now in talks with Steven Spielberg about a possible big-screen adaptation.
Crichton’s earlier works, such as Twister, Westworld and ER, have sold for huge amounts, making him one of the world’s most successful book, film and television writers - even in death.
“We have an incredible amount of interest,” Patterson told me in a joint interview with Sherri, "including five or so stars who’ve raised their hands, a lot of filmmakers, studios.
Popular titles include Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls and the Alex Cross series, which Amazon Prime Video is adapting for television.In the UK, Patterson is currently outsold by only Richard Osman and Colleen Hoover.
As chief executive of CrichtonSun, the publishing and production arm of Crichton’s estate, Sherri has worked hard to protect his legacy.
"Eruption, by James Patterson and Michael Crichton, is published in hardback by Century, on Thursday, 6 June (Recommended retail price: £22).
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