BIG ANNOUCEMENT! I've sold the rights to MHI for a TV show.

No, this is not like last year’s April Fools joke. This is for real. I am not messing with you. 🙂

I am pleased to finally be able to annouce that Monster Hunter International has been optioned by Entertainment One for the possible production of a TV show.

For everything:  http://www.entertainmentonegroup.com/  For TV: http://www.eonetv.com/ You may recognize them from such awesome things as the Walking Dead on AMC, Red with Bruce Willis, and even… sigh… Twilight. (hey, might not be my thing, but you can’t fault her for sleeping on gigantic piles of money, but it illustrates that these folks are Big Time)

What does this mean? This does not mean that a TV show is actually being made yet or anything like that. It just means that Entertainment One has bought the option to produce MHI.  It is up to them now if they will proceed with a pilot, and which network would be interested in it.

This is just the sale of the rights, so don’t get too excited… Heck, okay, get excited. I am. Tell your friends and then come visit me while I’m on book tour so we can geek out together. This just means that there is now a very real and serious possibility that MHI could end up on TV.

Back in ye olde tymes before the writer’s strike, lots and lots of books got optioned by Hollywood. You would have literally a hundred books optioned for every one that actually went into production. For the novelists, that meant that we basically got paid money to just not sell the rights to someobdy else. Post-strike, now Hollywood is a lot more picky and only options a handful of novels. (I have no idea how their business works, I stick with writing books, not screenplays). So it is harder to get optioned than it used to be, but now your odds of it actually getting produced once optioned are better.

Right now is a great time for quality shows on cable, and because of the sucess of things like True Blood and the Walking Dead, other big channels are also looking for urban fantasy/horror properties. Monster Hunter International certainly fits the bill.

Luckily for me, Baen’s Hollywood agent is Vince Gerardis (currently the executive producer on HBO’s Game of Thrones) and he’s a complete badass who knows how to get the job done.

I’ve not been able to say anything about this for a long time. In ’09 there was some serious interest in MHI from a couple of movie studios. That didn’t pan out. (though I was shocked by who some of my fans are out there, including a couple of successful producers and one particularly awesome Oscar winning actor who I happen to be a huge fan of).  Last year I started getting queries again from various interested parties, including a few that I had to look up on the IMDB, and when I’d seen what they’d done, it was rather mind blowing. (Oh, got a voice mail from another movie producer… Let’s check him on IMDB… Aaaand… he’s produced two Academy Award winners, better call Vince), that kind of thing.

It is a good that (according to a some chump blogger a couple of weeks back) I’m not a *real* bestseller, otherwise these things might have gone to my head!

I’ve known about this deal since SHOT Show, but haven’t been allowed to say anything online until today. I figured I might as well tell you guys as soon as I could. Maybe it will boost my Hard Magic sales…. Oooohh… Now Hard Magic would make an awesome movie starring Adam Baldwin as Sullivan and Chloe Moretz as Faye. (Dieselpunk, it’s the next Big Thing!)  And Dead Six should be a ultra-realistic, hyper-violent American anime series produced by Titmouse with Lorenzo being voiced by Steve Blum and Valentine by Oliver Wyman… I’m just saying.  Those would also be great projects. Have your people call my people.

Let’s do lunch.

Come and see me in Huntington Beach
Hard Magic audio book is available now on Audible.com

129 thoughts on “BIG ANNOUCEMENT! I've sold the rights to MHI for a TV show.”

  1. Congratulations, Larry! This is absolutely fantastic. The real star of the show, of course, will be Abomination.

    Since the show will be produced by the makers of Twilight, any chance we get to see Owen taking down Edward, Jacob, or reasonable fascimiles of said emo bloodsucker/mutt?

  2. Larry… My absolute, no-crap 100% congratulations buddy. I am actually chocked here, I feel like a bud of mine just hit the lotto and I have never met you.

    May you life never stop being this good. You deserve it.

    God Bless!

    1. Acting talent is a great thing, and I really like some of the recommendations in the comments, but I humbly recommend getting Joss Whedon involved in some way… ahem producer maybe.

  3. All I can say is, Bout damn time lol.

    Congrats, now all that’s left is to break into the music industry lol.

  4. w0000000000000000000000t!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    So happy right now that I just geeked out in front of my friends!

    Congratulations Larry!

  5. Congratulations Larry! Maybe Joss Whedon can direct, and we can get Jewel Staite onboard as Holly, and Adam Baldwin as someone who kills stuff.

  6. Congratulations! And nice name drops on all the heavy hitters involved.

    As long as you’d retain creative control I’d think that it would be awesome! I don’t trust any Hollywood insiders to not ruin any story that doesn’t lean left.

    1. That’s what worries me too. I can see them removing all the guns and giving Owen a Che Guevara shirt.

  7. Way to go Larry. I honestly can’t think of a better person to have this happen to. Keep out putting out good work and more success will follow!

  8. Nice work, Larry! I’ve got an award winner being “shopped” right now, so we’ll see what happens. It’s a big leap from “shopping” money to “option” money. I hope they paid handsomely for the rights to MHI. Good luck, man!

  9. Wow! congratulations! So roll around in that pile of money now.
    If they actually produce a TV show, think you can get good uncle Ted Nugent to do Sam? 😀
    An HBO series similar to Game of Thrones would be awesome.

  10. So Larry…does this mean you can now afford to buy ammo to shoot the Iron Man again?
    I’m so happy for you in your success with this whole thing, you’ve worked hard and had to skip a lot of things…

    And you are a best seller, screw the chumps..if they could spell “arther” they would be one…lol ..yes I have spell check…
    Stupid Amazon canceled my Hard Magic order which has been in since Dec.. but I’ll yell and get it right…
    Good luck Bro and keep them coming…
    TJ
    Montana

  11. I did not giggle madly when I read this….okay so I did, don’t judge me.

    Freaking awesome!

  12. Congrat u friggin lations Larry!!!
    With the detail and background of your books… tv series are a MUCH better idea than movies.
    Each character could fill a feature length film.
    Maybe the value of my signed Hard Magic just went up. 😀

  13. freakin’ awesome news. Talk about success, from self publishing, to new york times, to possible TV show. When you’ve got it, you’ve got it. congratulations

  14. This has the potential to be epic for you as an author and for the series as a whole.
    That being said….If MHI get’s bought by the WB and turned into their next Buffy clone I will have to disown you as my favorite author and go back to reading nothing but …..well…..I guess just nothing. 😛

  15. So many congrats, Larry. I don’t usually do HBO, but I might get the package just long enough to watch the series if they picked it up. Keep us updated. It was just evil to throw out the book tour again in this post to those of us in Texas. Lucky west.

  16. Just remind them about the pretty BIG gun STI gave you so they don’t do some weird crap like the end of season 1 of “Walking Dead.”

  17. Fantastic, and congrats!

    Does this mean we need to hustle our butts getting our pre-mainstream & licensing MHI logo gear made up?

    Casting guesses!

    Stephen Lang as Harbinger?

  18. Congrats Larry! Would be pretty awesome to see a good adaptation of this series to the small screen.

  19. Very Happy to hear it; and please do keep creative rights. and Earl still need a Kriss V-45. Popcorn is ready.

  20. HOLY CRAP!

    That’s so freaking awesome I can’t help but giggle like a schoolgirl.

    One thing Larry, you need to get it written in the contract that you are to be the “on set” firearms adviser. 😀

  21. Congrats, Larry!

    You should start a new thread titled “How Hollywood Will Try To Fuck Up Monster Hunter International.”

  22. Awesome. Good luck with that.

    Does this mean we might see Earl’s MHI Zippo for sale in the near future? Wouldn’t mind one.

  23. Make damned sure they get a good consultant for the hardware….
    If this all comes together and the “shooters” look like they learned from CSI I just couldn’t take it.

    BGM

  24. Well, the SciFi channel might do it well, but I shudder at the thought of “Mansquito”ing it. AMC did Walking Dead well, and HBO does a LOT of stuff well.

    I can see this being a GREAT TV series. Michael Ironside as Earl. Jewel Staite as Holly, Adam Baldwin for sure as somebody . . . but who plays Owen? Hell, put a few pounds on Adam!

    1. Never pictured him for it, but come to think of it Ironside definitely has the Badass Chops to be Earl…

  25. YES! Way to go, Larry! Now, to get some of your fans in as extras and red-shirts… 🙂

  26. Cool!

    Looking forward to it!

    Those guys do understand that if they screw this up your audience is both fanatical and well armed, right? 😉

  27. Hey, Larry, do they a seriously PO-ed chef with a firearm fetish ?
    Congrats, Congrats, Congrats, Congrats 😉
    So far out , how are you going to work in the Nudge ?

  28. Oh my God I’m so bloody excited about this. I may have to get cable just to see this…Or maybe it’ll be on Hulu. Either way I’m going to see it. Congrats Larry! XOXOXO

  29. Fantastic News! Congratulations again Larry!

    What I’m wondering/looking forward too, is what game company has bought up the rights or asked for rights for making a seriously kick ass first person shooter. With story line. Bioware/EA (Electronic Arts) comes to mind. They did a great job with Mass Effect story lines and great FPS game. I could very easily see making huge $$.

    Or those people that made that silly “resident evil” series of games that have never made a dime either. Obviously not, with 4 games, 5? Two movies, etc etc.

    And yeah, as another said, man I hope you keep some of the creative rights. Thinking of seeing Owen Z. Pitt in a Che Guevara shirt makes me nauseous. For real.

    1. I always thought MHI would make an awesome video game, but it should a third person action/shooter like Uncharted 2, Naughty Dog would be a perfect for developer for MHI the official video game, sales would be EPIC.

  30. Guys Owen in a Che Guevara shirt would be comedic gold. You know in MHI when the only shirt he could find said “No Fat Chicks.” It could be replaced with the Che shirt.

    Earl would say something like this.

    “Owen let’s go… Wait a minute, I never knew you liked communist murderers.”

    He’d reply, “Look, it was the only shirt this crappy store had that would fit me.”

    “Sure. Viva la revolution.”

    “Shut up Earl.”

  31. I think I just squeed myself.
    Jewel Staite as Holly? Oh yes!
    I DID squee myself.

    Off to the range with my MHI 625 to practice on zombie targets.

  32. Just when you think the awesome can’t get any awesomer…
    Add to that my copy of TGC should be here tomorrow…
    Add to that my signed hardcover version of TGC will surely be shipping soon…
    I think my head just exploded.
    And yes, it would be beyond cool if the redshirts would be called to portray their characters. I’d be a big fat red-shirt wearing Saiga toting getting-eaten-by-werewolves MF’er!

  33. Well done, indeed, good Sir!! Here’s to your continued fame and fortune.

    Does the ‘optioned’ thing still leave you with any creative control? I’m still reeling from the horrific raping of The Dresden Files, and I couldn’t bear to see that happen to your work.

    1. I will probably hatchet my TV if that screw it up like Dresden files. I’m a gurl, so I can get all mushy. I love love love your MHI books.

  34. Woot !! coming next, officially licensed MHI merchandize ? And perhaps an Abomination Conversion kit for a Saiga 12-gauge ???

  35. Congrats Mr. Correia! My whole house has been drooling over the idea of a movie or TV show from shortly after Amazon delivered my now-battered copy of the original. Our best wishes for a kick-ass pilot in your future!

  36. Awesome.

    …As for Hollywood “screwing MHI up,” I’m sure the producers will keep in mind that Larry’s large fan base is heavily armed…

    😉

  37. Awesome news, Larry!
    I know it’s not a sure thing that it’ll get produced but I’m totally excited about this now.

  38. With this being (I believe) the last season of Supernatural, that could end up being a good fit since maybe someone wants to replace it with something kindasorta similar.

    Definite potential here, especially if they actually kept to the books.

  39. It would be awesome if they gave MHI the Walking Dead treatment, really let it go as long as it needs to go, instead of trying to compress it down into two hours.

    This is really great news, I hope they bring you in for the firearms training for the actors.

  40. Massive pat on the back Dude. But hopefully it won’t go to one of the networks. Genre shows don’t have a long shelf life on the networks. Especially the National Barak Channel.

  41. Crapsticks!
    Now I have to save up for a huge screen TV…And I haven’t owned a TV that didn’t come on a USB stick for the better part of a decade.

    Congratulations Mr. Correia.

    1. Congrats, Larry!

      Damn, that means I better get Abomination built quick, so you can forward them pics of the forearm… and I’ve got a buttload of crap competing for scarce budget this year. (WHYOHWHYOHWHY did both LEGO and Wizards of the Coast have to announce kickass releases for this year?)

  42. Ahem… Pardon me while I step into deranged fanboy mode for a moment…..

    *SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*

    [/deranged fanboy mode]

    Congrats, Larry. And can’t wait for my signed copies of MHI and MHI:V to arrive from Uncle Hugo’s!

    OOOOH! OOH! I like the earlier suggestion of Jewel Staite as Holly, but what about Morena Baccarin as Julie!!!!

    [deranged fanboy mode]

    *SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*

    1. Dude, you just lost your man card.

      MHI fanboys don’t squee. That’s the sound vampires make when they burn. MHI fanboys express delight by rattling off a few rounds from their M249 SAWs and saying things like “That one is for Earl.”

  43. Well, that’s exciting! I thought that it would translate well to visual media, and the Big Boys agreed with me! 😉 Here’s hoping it moves beyond option–good work!

  44. Oh. Hell. Yeah. Seeing how HBO’s Game of Thrones has actually not taken the books into a back alley and beaten them senseless there’s hope that MHI can be done right. Well freakin done man. When’s Hard Magic gonna get the same treatement? 🙂

    So we’ve got Jason Momoa suggested for Owen and Jewel Staite for Holly. I think Jason is too pretty for Owen. Make him the rock star instead. Maybe Vinnie Jones or Ray Stevenson for Owen. And Claudia Black as Susan. We almost need a thread for choices to cast for each character. Need to get Alan Tudyk and Adam Baldwin in there somewhere. Hell, get the entire cast of Firefly onto this one. That reminds me, I need to get an MHI patch for my browncoat. Off to the merch page.

  45. Right on! ‘Bout time the tools in Bollockswood got some decent, original material to put on TV!!! I might actually start watching something other than Discovery channel again (and I’m even starting to get bored with “Top Shot”)…

  46. I think that Ray Stevenson would be a better fit for Harbinger.

    I’d say for Owen Heroes’ Greg Grunberg he’s a big guy like Owen is described in the book. Another choice is Will Sasso also a pretty big guy.

  47. Scott Schwartz (from Ocean’s 11, not A Chirstmas Story– two different actors with the same name) would make a great Owen.

    Congrats, Larry!

  48. Called it when I first read the MHI book, Larry. Knew it was Movie or TV series material. It’s just THAT entertaining!

    Rocketh thee on, mighty Pen-Warrior!

  49. I can’t believe that MHN hasn’t noticed that Larry doesn’t have a wikipedia page… is that by request or just a lapse in need of being fixed?

      1. Weird… was searching last night and couldn’t find it. Well, glad to see you have one already (and saving me a TON of work, by the way).

  50. Just look out for bad expressions of a good product. I really enjoy your books. I also enjoy the Dresden Files and the TV show they did for that blew chunks.

  51. Well, its about time they bought something NEW rather than wasting time with remaking crap.

    I hope it gets into syndication and I hope they don’t screw it up.

  52. This is amazing news! But can can everyone quit sugesting 50+ actors to pay Owen. As a young reader it’s been refreshing to read about a believable protagonist in my age range (24). I have to belive there are some young actors capable of pulling off the role. As for all the Adam Baldwin fans I believe his role is already written. I honestly cant imagine anyone else for Agent Franks.

    1. Yeah now that I think about it a younger actor would work better in the role of Owen. That being the case a relative unknown of the right age and physical type would require a talent search.

    2. and +1 on Baldwin as Franks. Since I first read it, he’s been the only guy I picture as well…

      1. Ryan Hurst is actually a really good Idea. I was also thinking Jai Courtney who played Varro on Spartacus could pull it off if he can manage an American accent.

  53. For Owen -somebody similar (not necessarily exactly) like John Cena. He has that pretty/ugly thing happening.

  54. I think we do need a thread for actor suggestions.

    Owen ~ John Cena
    Harbinger ~ Viggo Mortensen or Tim Olyphant
    Trip ~ Rampage
    Julie ~ Rhona Mitra
    Myers ~ John Cusack or Gabriel Byrne
    Franks ~ Liev Schrieber or Dwayne Johnson
    Holly ~ Elisha Cuthbert
    Milo ~ Bruce Campbell or Woody Harrelson
    Grant ~ Paul Walker
    Sam ~ ?? Drawing a blank

    1. Heres what I see so far
      Owen ~ (Open Casting call)
      Harbinger ~Max Martini
      Lord Machado~ Michael Irby
      Ray~ Jeff Goldblum ( plays crazy well)
      Susan~ Lucy Lawless
      Franks ~ Adam Baldwin
      Holly ~ Katee Sackhoff
      Trip ~ ?
      Julie ~ ?
      Myers ~ ?
      Milo ~ ?
      Grant ~ ?
      Sam ~ ?
      I’m really not worried about the younger characters. There are tons of talented young unknown actors out there for the roles and I’d rather see them get cast than watch some 37 year old parented he’s 24.

    2. Much as I like Bruce Campbell (Sam Axe FTW!), he’s way too big to be Milo. Henry Czerny for Myers could be good–he was Ritter in Clear and Present Danger and Kittridge in Mission: Impossible. Does a good job playing the pretty-boy academic ‘Crat you love to fantasize about taking shark-fishing… as bait.

  55. This is who I’ve always pictured while reading the books:

    Owen – Dwayne Johnson
    Julie – Anne Hathaway
    Earl – Neal McDonough
    Susan – Sandra Bullock

  56. Just wanted to say how much i LOVE LOVE LOVE the Monster Hunter books. Actually my whole family loves them. Who do I write to and let them know I want this TV show like I’ve wanted no other? My son and I have discussed, at length, how awesome a TV show based on MHI would be.

  57. Dude that’s amazing ! I don’t check this site often but I’m a huge fan as well as all my friends. I just saw this and am commenting to say congrats Mr. Corriea. Oh and just saying can’t wait for MHL.
    thanks for the post.

  58. Oh My Freaking GOD! I am so excited! Congrats Larry that is so cool. MHI is in my top five book series ever and i can’t wait to see it on TV. this is amazing! (ok fan girl moment over)

  59. I think Guillermo Del Torro would be the absolute best choice to bring this series to the screen. Big monsters, lots of guts, gritty feel.. perfect

  60. Congrats! For that I would seriously consider getting cable. I find TV not worth the effort generally, but there are occasional exceptions….

  61. What’s the latest on MHI coming to tv or the big screen? Anxiously awaiting the next book! Keep up the good work. It’s refreshing to see someone actually care and communicate with their fans. You are very much appreciated in our house!!

  62. Just recently started listening to the MHI books on audible, (I drive a semi, so that’s about the only way I can enjoy books nowadays) and I simply LOVE them. Finished the first 2 and about to start the 3rd shortly. It’s good to finally have a sci-fi series that isn’t blatantly liberal propaganda. Keep up the good work.

  63. So, has the success of Grimm stolen any hope for MHI making it to the small screen, or is more of a “Let’s keep this in reserve for when Grimm ends & the Grimmskers go looking for a replacement show?” Or on the third hand, is it a case of “FOX is the only network who would touch a pro-firearms story line and they habitually mismanage their sci-fi/fantasy programming?” Would still love to see MHI make it to the wider aliterate audience but after 4 years since your big announcement am beginning to give up hope…

    1. This is an old post.

      Can’t say much, but this option expired, but we are renegotiating a new contract now. Hollywood is weird and flaky, takes forever, and nothing happens, until suddenly it does. 🙂

  64. No joke, awesome job man, only read monster hunter international and i can already tell that the rest of the series is going to be badass. Really hope i’ll see some armored up monster hunters kicking monster ass real soon. I also really want to see how they’ll envision abomination.

  65. Entertainment One’s sale to Lionsgate should be closing within a few weeks. Let’s hope the new owners realize the company has been sitting on the option to such a strong seller.

    1. Wouldn’t hold my breath; they’ve been sitting on it for 12 1/2 years.

      Our best hope might be that one of Larry’s kids has ambitions to be a Media Mogul. Monster Hunter International, Hard Magic and Son Of The Black Sword, all brought to you by Yard Moose Mountain Productions! The studio logo can be a Moose, standing in the front yard of a house, with a mountain in the background.

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