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Angryfilms Options Young Adult Political Novel 'Little Brother'

by Ethan Anderton
March 22, 2010

Plenty of young adult novels make their way to the big screen attempting to duplicate the success of Harry Potter, but none have come to close to resembling the caliber of that series, let alone having such a mature level of subject matter. However, that may change as THR reports Angryfilms has optioned Little Brother, a political thriller that sounds like one of the most intriguing young adult novels I've ever encountered. The story (referencing Big Brother of George Orwell's 1984) centers on a high school senior who, after a terrorist attack blows up San Francisco's Bay Bridge, becomes swept up in the extralegal world of Homeland Security.

After he and his friends are interrogated and tortured, they're released into a city under total surveillance. Upon his release, the teen vows to use his skills to fight back against an increasingly frightening system and leads an internet-fueled rebellion to rescue his friends and free the city. The story and subject matter itself is not only relevant, but quite thought-provoking for a young adult series as Booklist says the Cory Doctorow written novel has "obvious parallels to Orwellian warnings and post-9/11 policies, such as the Patriot Act, will provide opportunity for classroom discussion and raise questions about our enthusiasm for technology, who monitors our school library collections, and how we contribute to our own lack of privacy." Awesome!

And when someone like Coraline author Neil Gaiman says, "I'd recommend Little Brother over pretty much any book I've read this year," (as stated on the cover) it sounds like I'm going to have to give this one a read. With a production company like Angryfilms (who's working on Real Steel with Hugh Jackman and Michael Bay's Transformers 3) involved, this certainly sounds like it's going to be a big movie to look forward to, and I'm definitely intrigued to say the least. They're currently looking for writers and directors now, so we'll be sure to let you know when we hear more. Anyone else interested based on that great concept, too?

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