Ang Lee Gets a LIFE OF PI

Being someone who reads roughly two books every three years, I’m not going to say that you should heed my advice on this, but Yann Martel’s novel LIFE OF PI is an astonishing experience.   Being someone who far prefers the art of film, I was exuberant when I first heard a number of filmmakers were trying to get the novel adapted to the big screen.   Names so far attached to the film have been M.Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuaron, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, all exciting choices for this subject matter.

Today comes word from The Guardian that director Ang Lee has stepped into the director’s chair on this.   The news was just a rumor back in February, but Lee confirmed it in a recent interview.

I’m delivering the first draft.   I think I’ve cracked the structure of the movie and I’ll figure out how to do it later.   How exactly I’m going to do it, I don’t know … A little boy adrift at sea with a tiger. It’s a hard one to crack!

Lee’s explained that the film was set for a tentative release in 2011.   Lee is a satisfying choice to tackle this story.   His more recent films haven’t exactly garnered much recognition, but if he were able to channel the Ang Lee of ten years ago, we could have an unforgettable, cinematic experience on our hands.