*20th Century Fox and film producer DeVon Franklin have swooped rights to the forthcoming book “The Impossible,” which is currently in proposal form from author Joyce Smith, reports Deadline.com.
It’s based on the true story of John Smith, who drowned in Lake St. Louis at age 14 and was dead for nearly an hour. According to news reports at the time, CPR was performed 27 minutes to no avail. Then his mother, Joyce Smith, entered the room, praying loudly. Suddenly, John had a pulse and came to.
The story made national headlines in 2015, and the book proposal led to a bidding war won by Hachette Books, which will release the tome later this year, according to Deadline. “Seven Pounds” screenwriter Grant Nieporte is attached to pen the script while Smith completes the book.
Franklin, the preacher, motivational speaker, author, and husband of actress Meagan Good, was moved by the miracle and helped the family find a literary agent and develop the book proposal to become the foundation for the film.
“The Impossible” is the first project set at Fox for Franklin Entertainment since the producer moved his overall production deal there, according to Deadline.
Franklin is coming off the Jennifer Garner–Queen Latifah film “Miracles From Heaven,” which grossed $73 million on a $15 million budget. In the pipeline is “The Star” for Sony Pictures Animation, with reboots of “He-Man” And “Masters Of The Universe” at Sony, “Cooley High” at MGM, and a TV series update of “Foxy Brown” at Hulu with his wife in the lead role.
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