Jackson and Walsh Aquire Some Lovely Bones

By James Wray Jan 18, 2005, 13:18 GMT

Jackson and Walsh will adapt Sebold's novel

Variety reports rights were picked up from the UK's FilmFour, part of Channel 4. The company will partner with Jackson and Walsh as they develop the script.

Rather unusually the two intend to finish the script before getting any studios involved, saying it likely to be well into 2007 before any film is finished.

The story is seen from the eyes of a recently murdered teenager called Susie. She watches from heaven as her grieving family tries to come to terms with her death, as well as following the progress of the detective trying to solve her case.

It is really a coming of age story, just differs in that Susie is dead. She struggles to come to terms with death and still clings to world of the living. Over the years her family disintegrates as her father becomes obsessed with finding her killer, her mother withdraws, her little brother Buckley attempts to make sense of it all and her younger sister goes through adolescence with Susie on her shoulder to guide her.

Jackson says on adapting the novel that heaven "is cleverly not described that well in the book, because Alice wanted your imagination to do the work and decide what Susie's heaven looks and feels like," Jackson said. "We will have to show something on film. It has to be somehow ethereal and emotional, but it can't be hokey."

You can read more about the book in our database.