Ang Lee to Direct ‘Life of Pi’ Adaptation?

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  02.23.09 | 11:25 AM ET

The movie version of the bestselling novel, which follows the story of a young boy adrift on a life raft with a Bengal tiger after a Pacific Ocean crossing gone wrong, has been in the works for years. Now, after a series of ups and downs, it looks as though the film may be moving forward: Ang Lee, the Oscar-winning director of “Brokeback Mountain,” is in “the final stages of talks” to sign on as director, the Globe and Mail reports. Said the book’s author, Yann Martel: “If Fox closes a deal with Ang Lee, I’ll be very happy. He’s a superb director with a varied and dazzling output ... He’d do a great job with ‘Life of Pi.’”

Tags: Literature, Movies, Pop Culture Travel, Literary Travel

Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


3 Comments for Ang Lee to Direct ‘Life of Pi’ Adaptation?

Julia Ross 02.23.09 | 12:57 PM ET

Let me note here that the Taiwanese have great affection for ‘Life of Pi’ because it is one of the few English language novels to feature a Taiwanese character. So Ang Lee’s interest isn’t surprising. Looking forward to it.

Sophia Dembling 02.23.09 | 1:06 PM ET

I resisted reading that book for ages. It didn’t sound like something I would like—I tend to avoid anything described as “lyrical.” When I finally succumbed, I was knocked out. Sounds like an excellent book/director pairing.

Eva Holland 02.23.09 | 3:48 PM ET

Thanks, Julia. I never would have guessed Life of Pi was huge in Taiwan!

And Sophia - I felt the same way. Avoided it due to the hype, but eventually read and enjoyed it. I didn’t love love love it, but I *do* love love love Yann Martel (my Canadian compatriot) for his “What is Stephen Harper Reading?” campaign, in which he attempts to educate our non-book-loving Prime Minister:

http://www.whatisstephenharperreading.ca/

Check it out, it’s pretty hilarious.

Re: the movie, this’ll be a tricky one to pull off, but with Ang Lee on board they’re off to a good start.

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