Now that the director has enjoyed much success with adapting Dan Brown novels, Ron Howard is setting his sights on an international bestseller: The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, by Swiss author Joel Dicker.
The novel will release in the US next month, but has enjoyed a wave of success in parts of Europe, most notably in France, Italy, and Spain. Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to the murder mystery, with Howard’s longtime collaborator Brian Grazer attached as producer.
Deadline provides the scoop, and describes the novel as being about “a young superstar novelist who finds himself embroiled in a sensationalized murder mystery when his mentor, an icon of American literature, is implicated in the crime of a missing 15-year-old girl who turns up dead in the author’s backyard.”
The mystery goes from the present day all the way back to 1975, as the young novelist launches his own investigation, following a trail of clues in order to find out the truth. Howard’s history with films like The Da Vinci Code prove that he can handle an expansive clue-hunting mystery, so this project sounds right up his alley.
As of right now, the project is likely a long ways off. Howard recently wrapped production on his upcoming film The Heart of the Sea, and will begin working on a third Dan Brown adaptation, Inferno, very soon. We’re not sure yet when the director will get around to making this one but given that he’s tied up for a bit,  Warner Bros. should have ample time to hire a writer and get things moving on The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, especially if they want to cash in on the novel’s current success.
