Woodbury-based author Brian Freeman announced Thursday that he sold the rights to his novel “Infinite” to Universal Pictures.
“It’s been kind of a whirlwind. It all happened in just a couple of weeks,” Freeman says of his first movie deal.
“Infinite” is the story of Dylan Moran, consumed with grief after the loss of his wife, who suddenly sees versions of himself. One of his doppelgangers is a psychopath who kills in a parallel universe.
Freeman had sent an early copy of “Infinite,” which came out March 1, to Josie Freedman, his film agent at ICM Partners talent agency.
“Josie loved the book and handed it off to the agency’s writers who started talking to their contacts at different studios,” Freeman said. “There was lots of interest and we went with Universal and Chris Morgan, who is behind the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise.” The script will be written by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer.
Freeman, who also writes the popular Minnesota-based Jonathan Stride series, isn’t too surprised that this novel is the one that will make the big screen.
“The thing about ‘Infinite’ is that I envisioned the book as a screenplay that I thought about writing myself. I wrote it as a novel instead, but the film concept — the strong visual element and nature of the character — comes through in the book,” he says. “This is exciting because the book is so perfectly suited to the kinds of film projects being done these days, with an unusual and compelling story. I think that’s why the writers were so interested. But it’s also a very simple story; a man’s quest for redemption, a flawed hero finding out there are second chances.”
Does Freeman have a favorite actor he’d like to see as Dylan?
“I’m not going down that road,” he said with a laugh. “I am confident they will find a tremendous actor. It’s a great role because of the nature of the story, Dylan in multiple parallel universes, all the different sides of one man.”
Freeman also writes the Jason Bourne espionage series started by Robert Ludlum. His next thriller, “The Bourne Treachery,” will be published July 27, and he’s finishing a new Jonathan Stride adventure.
As for “Infinite,” he’s happy to leave it in the hands of the filmmakers: “Once the rights are sold, the best thing the writer can do is stay as far away as possible.”
