On the heels of Jurassic World scoring to the highest global bow of all time, and with Marvel’s Ant-Man about to make miniature marketable again, Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Studios has picked up feature film rights to the late Michael Crichton’s final novel, Micro.
The book sat on Crichton’s computer, unfinished after his death in 2008, until author Richard Preston stepped in to finish it. HarperCollins published in 2011 and it went to become a New York Times bestseller (as was tradition with Crichton’s thrillers). The late author was considered one of the best thriller writers of his time, and numerous works of his were adapted for the big screen (including the Spielberg-directed Jurassic World).
Frank Marshall is on board to produce the high-concept adventure-thriller, about a group of grad students who accept a job offer from a mysterious biotech company in scenic Hawaii, only to find themselves shrunk down to microscopic size and left to die in the rain forest, with nothing but their knowledge of nature and innate wit to save them.
CrichtonSun LLC’s Sherri Crichton will oversee as an executive producer, alongside Laurent Bouzereau. Crichton said:
“Michael was exhilarated, passionate and invested in Micro, a story he spent years researching and developing. It was yet another opportunity for him to explore the clash between science and nature, as seen through the eyes of relatable characters. Michael also wrote in cinematic terms and would be so pleased to see Micro come to life on the big screen at DreamWorks.”
Spielberg also released a statement, saying:
“We are so pleased to have this opportunity to develop Micro. For Michael, size did matter whether it was for ‘Jurassic’s huge dinosaurs or Micro‘s infinitely tiny humans.”
DreamWorks’ CEO Michael Wright said:
“Michael Crichton’s vast body of work has thrilled audiences around the world for decades, and it feels particularly poignant to be bringing his last published novel to DreamWorks. This is the perfect place to unite these two dynamic brands.”
The studio is also working on an adaptation of Crichton’s pirate novel, Pirate Latitudes, published after his death.
