EXCLUSIVE: Alibi Media has snapped up movie rights to Juan Gabriel Vásquez’s acclaimed 2014 novel The Sound of Issues Falling, tapping Home of Gucci screenwriter Roberto Bentivegna to direct the undertaking as his first characteristic, from his personal script.
The novel revealed by Penguin Group imprint Riverhead Books follows Antonio Yammara, who after being injured in a shootout and witnessing the homicide of the mysterious Ricardo Laverde, decides to search out out who his good friend actually was, starting a journey into the darkish coronary heart of Colombia’s drug commerce. What follows is an investigation right into a lifeless man’s previous, and a pilgrimage to unlock that almost all elusive factor: the reality.
Extensively thought-about one of the vital essential Latin American novels of the century, The Sound of Issues Falling gained Spain’s prestigious Premio Alfaguara in 2011 earlier than happening to win prizes together with Italy’s Premio Gregor von Rezzori-Città di Firenze and the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. The New York Instances bestseller has been revealed in 30 languages and 50+ international locations worldwide. The characteristic adaptation can be produced by Alibi’s Founder and CEO, Cristina Palacio.
“I’m thrilled to have this novel tailored to the display by Roberto Bentivegna, whose work I love, and produced by the great Cristina Palacio,” Vásquez advised Deadline. “The ebook couldn’t be in higher palms.”
Said Bentivegna: “When Cristina introduced The Sound Of Issues Falling to my consideration final 12 months, I used to be instantly captivated by it. There have been a number of books, movies and TV exhibits that try to inform the darkish previous of Colombian’s drug commerce. Few, in my view, achieve this as poetically and evocatively as Juan Gabriel Vasquez’s masterpiece. It’s a story about folks, in the beginning – and an exquisite alternative to depict a “Latin Noir” within the vein of the 70s existential thrillers I like.”
Added Palacio: “Taking Juan Gabriel’s ebook to the display has been a persistent obsession. It can’t be extra Colombian. It can’t be extra good. Solely a privileged and proficient thoughts like Roberto Bentivegna’s may set to the duty of adapting this novel. I imagine nobody may grasp its essence higher than him.”
Vásquez has, along with The Sound of Issues Falling, penned novels together with The Informers, The Secret Historical past of Costaguana, Reputations, The Form of the Ruins and the forthcoming Retrospective, all of them translated into English by Anne McLean. Amongst his different works are the quick story collections Lovers on All Saints’ Day and Songs for the Flames, in addition to two books of literary essays — El arte de la distorsión and Viajes con un mapa en blanco. The author has translated works by Joseph Conrad and Victor Hugo, amongst others, and has gained two Simón Bolívar awards for his work as a journalist, additionally seeing his work acknowledged with awards together with the Royal Spanish Academy Prize, the Casa de América Latina de Lisboa Prize, the Biblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana Prize, the Roger Caillois Prize, and the Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial Novel Prize, to call a couple of. He was named chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic in 2016, and was awarded the Order of Isabel la Católica by the King of Spain simply two years later.
Bentivegna is a BAFTA nominee finest identified for adapting (with Becky Johnston) Sarah Homosexual Forden’s Home of Gucci — an epic story of Italian historical past, vogue, energy and household politics — for four-time Oscar nominee Ridley Scott. The movie starring Woman Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons and Salma Hayek got here in as one of the vital profitable characteristic dramas of the pandemic period upon its November 2021 launch — grossing over $153MM worldwide — whereas claiming Oscar and Golden Globe noms and different accolades. Additionally developing for Bentivegna is an adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s The Jealousy Man and Different Tales for Amazon, with Brad Weston producing.
Palacio is finest often known as certainly one of Latin America’s foremost actuality TV showrunners, having produced worldwide editions of such beloved codecs as MasterChef, Survivor and Who Needs to Be a Millionaire?, whereas creating authentic competitors exhibits like Reto 4 Elementos in Mexico and Colombia. Her Pan-American manufacturing firm, Alibi, is at the moment producing the fourth season of the latter sequence for Televisa. Further credit embody the comedic characteristic Tuya, mía… te la apuesto starring Adrian Uribe, two seasons of the Latin model of Design Star for Discovery, three seasons of Inseparables (Energy Couple) for Televisa and Univision, and the upcoming El Ruido de las Cosas al Caer.
Bentivegna is repped by WME and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.
