#Michael Crichton Adaptations of Unpublished Works in the Works – /Film

Michael Crichton‘s books and films have helped shape pop culture of the 20th and 21st century — from Jurassic Park to Westworld to The Andromeda Strain, the late author was an inarguable force in genre and action storytelling. And like many authors, he left behind tons of unpublished manuscripts that would never see the light of day — until now.

The estate and production of the author, CrichtonSun, has struck up a partnership with Range Media Partners to develop TV series and film adaptations of Crichton’s unpublished manuscripts, reports The Wrap. CrichtonSun has signed a deal with Range Media Partners to produce, package, and develop projects that will bring Crichton’s manuscripts to the big and small screen. No specific projects were announced, but it will include a slate of shows and a “major screen event” adapting material from the Crichton archives.
Sherri Crichton, Micahel Crichton’s widow and president of CrichtonSun, will help develop these projects along with producing partner Laurent Bouzereau, as part of a continued effort to keep Crichton’s legacy going after the author’s 2008 death. CrichtonSun was founded in 2014, and has worked to keep Crichton’s book on the best-seller lists, including recent publications of Pirate Latitudes, Dragon Teeth, and Micro, as well as a sequel to Crichton’s 1969 techno-thriller classic The Andromeda Strain called The Andromeda Evolution, written by Daniel H. Wilson and released last year for the 50th anniversary of the beloved classic.

“We’re thrilled to have found true creative partners at Range,” Sherri Crichton said in a statement. “They share our passion of preserving The Crichton Legacy and we look forward to tapping into their imaginative minds and exciting pool of talent to continue bringing Michael’s visions to life for audiences and readers around the world.”

“We are deeply honored to have the opportunity to partner with Sherri and Laurent and embrace the magic given to the world from this titan.  Michael Crichton’s footprint is indelible and singular,” Range co-founding partner Michael Cooper added in a statement.

Crichton is best known today for writing Jurassic Park, which spawned a franchise that is still going strong and whose continuation, Jurassic World, is one of Universal’s biggest box office titans. But he’s also written books like the aforementioned The Andromeda Strain, later adapted to a 1971 film by Robert Wise, and Congo, and directed seven films including Coma, The Great Train Robbery, and of course, the original Westworld, which has also seen great success as a remake series on HBO. There’s clearly a lot of potential for a Crichton extended universe in both film and TV, which may be what we get with this new slate of adaptations.

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