Less-than-stellar reviews of the recent documentary exploring the life of The Catcher in the Rye author J.D. Salinger haven’t stopped Harvey Weinstein from plans to turn it into a scripted feature-length film.
Shane Salerno, the writer of both the Salinger documentary and book, will write the screenplay for the unnamed movie. Salinger, which provides many stunning revelations about the famously reclusive author who passed away in 2010, has been playing in select theaters in New York and Los Angeles—it will expand to 62 cities on Sept. 20, with additional footage.
The new film will present a specific point in Salinger’s life, focusing on that time period from World War II up to the 1951 publication of The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger’s only novel, and his most famous work. The tighter timeframe will allow for a closer examination of what many believe to be the defining events in the author’s life. It was during this time Salinger began writing Catcher and set the foundation for his reclusive lifestyle.
Penning an entirely new Salinger movie, while already well researched, isn’t the only thing going on for the former Armageddon writer. Even while promoting his documentary and book of the same name, Salerno has continued work on one of the three Avatar sequels.
While the documentary—a nine-year project for Salerno—touches on all aspects of Salinger’s life, a statement from the Weinstein Company says by focusing on this pivotal point of Salinger’s life it allows “Salerno’s extensive research on the renowned author” to make for an “incredible live action narrative.”
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