Dear Mr. Brooks,
May I call you Max? Anyway, I've been a big fan of your Dad's work for a long time. It's still a toss up between Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles as my favorite comedy of all time. And your Mom was about as beautiful and talented as they come. But look at me, yakking about your parents when the true reason I'm writing is because of you. I just finished your second book 'World War Z' (I finished your first book late last year) and let me say it was a fantastic read. I have been a longtime fan of zombies in general, yet no piece of entertainment out there (there might still be as I have yet to experience it all) has dared to approach the plague on such an epic scale. It has always been dealt with on personal levels, little corners of the world. I found 'World War Z' to be both personal and epic, demonstrating how the plague effects everyone all over from the smallest of details to the largest of scales.
As I flipped through the pages, I couldn't help but imagine this as a film. Maybe three films. A pre-plague version, a full-on plague version and a clean-up version. But I fear that time may have passed and it will be too tempting for a director to use the zombies as a parody of current life or worse yet, the war. Something that you thankfully avoided. I also considered that your interview narrative lends itself so well to individual stories that I wondered if this might make a great series on HBO or Showtime. Each episode dedicated to another story that helps build the arc overall. It's a heck of an idea really. One that I hope is already in the works. And if it isn't and this letter helps spark a deal, I'll take 15 percent and some points on the back end.
So anyways, hi to the wife and kids. And keep up the good zombie work. You've breathed new life into a genre that I thought was as dead as the zombies themselves.
Yours truly
Piper
May I call you Max? Anyway, I've been a big fan of your Dad's work for a long time. It's still a toss up between Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles as my favorite comedy of all time. And your Mom was about as beautiful and talented as they come. But look at me, yakking about your parents when the true reason I'm writing is because of you. I just finished your second book 'World War Z' (I finished your first book late last year) and let me say it was a fantastic read. I have been a longtime fan of zombies in general, yet no piece of entertainment out there (there might still be as I have yet to experience it all) has dared to approach the plague on such an epic scale. It has always been dealt with on personal levels, little corners of the world. I found 'World War Z' to be both personal and epic, demonstrating how the plague effects everyone all over from the smallest of details to the largest of scales.
As I flipped through the pages, I couldn't help but imagine this as a film. Maybe three films. A pre-plague version, a full-on plague version and a clean-up version. But I fear that time may have passed and it will be too tempting for a director to use the zombies as a parody of current life or worse yet, the war. Something that you thankfully avoided. I also considered that your interview narrative lends itself so well to individual stories that I wondered if this might make a great series on HBO or Showtime. Each episode dedicated to another story that helps build the arc overall. It's a heck of an idea really. One that I hope is already in the works. And if it isn't and this letter helps spark a deal, I'll take 15 percent and some points on the back end.
So anyways, hi to the wife and kids. And keep up the good zombie work. You've breathed new life into a genre that I thought was as dead as the zombies themselves.
Yours truly
Piper
I bought this when it was first published, started reading it, didn't get into it, and sold it on Amazon.
ReplyDeleteI wish I hung on to it. I WANTED to love it, but it just didn't work for me.
The audio book is said to be very good. With Alan Alda, Carl and Rob Reiner and even Henry Rollins as voices.
Loved this one and Survival...
ReplyDeleteHey, Piper, don't know if you're aware, but popular pop culture author J Michael Straczynski is writing (has written?) the script for the movie version. The project is still hush-hush, but there'll be a movie at some point. Love the trilogy idea.
ReplyDeleteooh i started reading this but then it was due back at the library.
ReplyDeleteso you suggest finishing it I guess
i've seen this book but haven't heard much yay-or-nay on it.
ReplyDeletea wonderful letter...i hope he really reads it.
and the film version certainly could be interesting in deed.
moviezzz,
ReplyDeleteGet that book back and read it. I won't argue that it's a very slow start. I was fighting to get through the first hundred pages. But then it's smooth sailing from there.
The same goes for you Nathanial. Get that book and read it.
great white snark,
That's great news. I'm interested to see what they do with it. And I'm hoping they deal with it as seriously as Max Brooks has.