John's Blog

A Conspiracy of Dunces: Will John Kennedy Toole's comic masterpiece ever reach the big screen?

A film version of the classic novel is scheduled for release in 2007. Will this 26 year journey come to fruition in a film featuring Lily Tomlin, Drew Barrymore, Olympia Dukakis, and Will Ferrell as cast members? Let's hope not. Given some of the more prestigious (and ultimately cursed) names that have been cast in the lead role in the prior adaptation attempts (John Belushi and John Candy), Will Ferrell in a fat suit seems like a pretty uninspired choice. But larger issues loom...

Yet, despite the book's comic prowess and cultish street cred, nobody has succeeded in bringing it to the big screen. It may be too good for its own good. Bubblegum genre pieces and formulaic spy thrillers tend to do best in Hollywood, sometimes resulting in movies that exceed their progenitors (e.g., the Bourne series). Conversely, richly crafted novels with complex storylines often die painful deaths, losing too much in the translation (take your pick). This is especially true of comedic works.

Tags: movies, books