Hard Case Crime’s “Say It With Bullets” Optioned By Caribou Films; Blaine Novak (”They All Laughed,” “Strangers Kiss”) to Write and ProduceHard Case Crime’s March 2006 title — Richard Powell’s “Say It With Bullets” — has been sold to the movies; the screenplay is being written by Blaine Novak, a writer/director who has worked with Audrey Hepburn, Jack Nicholson, and Peter Bogdanovich. Author Richard Powell is no stranger to the movies — Woody Allen based “Bananas” on one of Powell’s books, Elvis Presley based “Follow That Dream” on another, and Robert Vaughn got an Oscar nomination for his co-starring role with Paul Newman in a third. But Powell’s novels had largely been forgotten until “Say It With Bullets” was reissued earlier this year, making it available for the first time in 50 years.
In addition to “Say It With Bullets,” Richard Powell wrote the best-selling “Arab and Andy” mystery novels in the 1940s, about a husband-and-wife team of crime solvers, as well as “Don Quixote USA,” which was the original inspiration for Woody Allen’s movie “Bananas.” He also wrote “The Philadelphian,” which was filmed as “The Young Philadelphians” starring Paul Newman and Robert Vaughn (who received an Oscar nomination for his role), and “Pioneer, Go Home!,” which was the basis for Elvis Presley’s movie “Follow That Dream.” Rights to Richard Powell’s works are controlled by his daughter, Dorothy Powell Quigley, and represented by Curtis Brown, Ltd.
“We’re proud to have played a role in bringing this book, and Richard Powell’s work in general, back into the spotlight where it belongs,” said Charles Ardai, founder and editor of Hard Case Crime, who will also serve as an executive producer on the film. “How often does a book written more than 50 years ago make you laugh out loud? If the book in question is ‘Say It With Bullets,’ the answer is many, many times.”
Old school. Hard Case Crime just keeps getting better and better.
