Every Canceled Movie Adaptation of The Secret History of Donna Tartt Explained

Although Donna Tartt’s novel is a bestseller The secret story has yet to be adapted into a film after several failed attempts to bring his book to life. First published in 1992, The secret story is Tartt’s first novel and is about students at a prestigious school who are encouraged by an eccentric teacher to live outside the boundaries of common morality and ultimately kill a classmate. The book was critically acclaimed upon release and launched Tartt’s career as a bona fide best-selling author, but in the 21st century it has found new life as one of the crown jewels of the social media platform’s so-called #BookTok section. TIC Tac.

As of 2023, Tartt has written three novels, each of which has been praised by literary critics. His most recent publication was: The goldfinch, which won him the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Although the book was intended to be made into a film in 2019. The goldfinch The film received many reviews, which does not necessarily reflect the quality of the book. Meanwhile, Tartt’s debut novel, whose popularity has only increased since 1992, has become something of a lost cause in Hollywood as more than one high-profile expedition has failed on the choppy waves that define Tartt’s unique prose. The secret story.

Alan J. Pakula, Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne (1992)

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Almost immediately after the release of Tartt’s debut work, The secret story was quickly released in hopes of turning the book into a movie as quickly as possible. As befits a novel of this scope and literary immensity, the book was first picked up by Hollywood legend Alan J. Pakula, the famed producer and director behind hit films like avocet, All the president’s menAND Sofia’s choice. According to Penguin Publishing, Pakula has chosen this option The secret story in 1992, but stalled for most of the 1990s as the project never seemed to come to fruition. The director has made several films, but Tartt’s novel has remained neglected.

The director of some of the best Hollywood films of the 1970s wasn’t the only one looking to bring the story to life, and Pakula reportedly turned to famed author Joan Didion to help him write the script (via The independent). Didion is best remembered as one of the pioneers of new journalism and her book The year of magical thinking won the Pulitzer Prize. The adaptation was eventually halted due to the tragic death of Alan J. Pakula in 1998. The way the script choices worked, the rights to the book returned to Tartt and she was able to find another lover for it. The secret story.

Gwyneth and Jake Paltrow in Miramax (2002)

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Just a few years after losing adaptation rights following the death of Alan J. Pakula, Donna Tartt The secret story It was quickly picked up again, but this time by a group of ambitious Hollywood kids. After The independent, the book was picked up by siblings Gwyneth and Jake Paltrow, who hoped to put their own spin on the story for the new millennium. By then, Tartt’s novel was already celebrating its tenth anniversary, but it had not lost the charm and appeal that led so many to adapt it.

In 2002, Paltrow was already at the top of Tinseltown thanks to her controversial 1999 Oscar win. Shakespeare in love. This created a great desire at Miramax to work with her and her brother on a version of Tartt’s novel that would reinvigorate the book’s appeal. Paltrow handled writing duties while her brother directed, following in the footsteps of their father, Bruce Paltrow, who was also a director. Unfortunately, the elder Paltrow’s death derailed all of the brothers’ plans, and yet another tragedy would follow. The secret story to see it again on the big screen.

Bret Easton Ellis and Melissa Rosenberg (2013)

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More than a decade after the Paltrow siblings failed to survive The secret story From the start, Hollywood once again tried to climb the 500-plus page mountain, but this time using a character from Tartt’s own life for the adaptation. Author Bret Easton Ellis is best known for his 1991 satirical horror novel. American psychopathbut he also studied at the famous Bennington School at the same time as Donna Tartt, and The secret story It was partially dedicated to him. So how Urban and rural It reportedly made sense for him to use his literary skills to help adapt the book.

This is largely due to the publication of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The goldfinchinterest in an adjustment The secret story, and Ellis was joined by Bennington’s former classmate Melissa Rosenberg. Unlike previous efforts that focused directly on a feature film, Ellis and Rosenberg hoped to adapt the novel into a miniseries, which would allow more of the rich story and prose to be translated to the screen. Unfortunately, The secret story This eluded them again when the author duo failed to find a network that could influence the ambitious project.

Why the Secret History adaptation will probably never happen

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While some books are considered unadaptable, others simply take too long to complete because the idea has not yet been fully developed. classic novels such as A confederation of fools were equally plagued by production nightmares, while others are happy to do it Catcher in the Rye editing them is expressly prohibited. Donna Cakes The secret story exists in all of the above categories and will likely never make it to the screen due to a mix of Hollywood incompetence and Tartt’s own desire to protect his vision, which has been compromised by other productions.

The adaptation of his 2019 book. The goldfinch was a certified failure that generated only a fraction of the cost (via Box office mojo). Furthermore, it was a mistake that not only called the adaptation into question, but also made the source material look bad. Although the final product was a nightmare, Donna Tartt was already embittered in Hollywood in 2017 when she fired her former agent over disagreements over how The goldfinch was managed (via Page six).

Of course, such a terrible experience has kept her away from Hollywood forever, but it definitely fits Tartt’s character that she wants to avoid the glitz and glamour. In an interview with Urban and ruralTartt described himself as “lone wolf“And it’s clear he didn’t like anyone else doing his job. However, this did not stop him from giving permission The secret story will have several options, which have undoubtedly resulted in large salaries for the famous writer, but she will likely avoid large salaries in the future to preserve her literary legacy.