Ridley Scott and Demi Moore among the creators who will participate in four film adaptations of Asimov's works
Eight years after his death, the late author Isaac Asimov has become a hot name in Hollywood. No fewer than four studios are now engaged in adapting Asimov's works into films.
Fox Studios will adapt Asimov's story "Yesterday's Child" into a film. In the film, Demi Moore will star in the role of the nurse who becomes attached to a boy who came back from the future.
In another deal, "Fox" obtained an option to adapt Asimov's most popular series "Heavenly Institution". This series is one of the best sellers in the science fiction genre, over 20 million copies have been sold. Shekhar Kapoor, the director of the movie "Elizabeth" is supposed to direct the movie.
"Paramount" studios are going to turn "End of Forever" into a movie directed by Ridley Scott based on a screenplay by Gary Goldman, who wrote "Fateful Memory". Whereas the "Sony" company is working on an animated film, the "Norby" series. Asimov wrote the 10 books in this children's series with his wife, Janet, and she will be a creative consultant on the film.
Any such deal, if it comes to fruition, will amount to a seven-figure payment into the pockets of Asimov's heirs.
Asimov, one of the most respected science fiction writers, and a scientist in his own right, wrote over 460 works including books and short stories. Although he also wrote non-fiction works and mystery stories, his specialty was science fiction, with futuristic plots devoid of aliens but loaded with humanistic messages.
Asimov's works have influenced many contemporary science fiction filmmakers, but only a few have so far been adapted for film. Asimov himself did not particularly try to promote the turning of his books into films, he once sold the rights to one of his books for $50. However Asimov was not a complete stranger to Hollywood. He advised the creators of "Star Trek" in building the character of Data, who has the positron brain.
