A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Potential Cast: Tom Cruise

True to its ambitious title, Dave Eggers' memoir of his unexpected guardianship of his eight-year-old brother after both their parents die of cancer was hailed by critics in 2000, became a bestseller, and ultimately became the subject of a bidding war between New Line and Miramax. Eggers chose New Line after the studio offered him $2 million, complete creative control, and the right to cowrite the screenplay. New Line could also offer Paul Thomas Anderson, who had just completed Magnolia for the studio and could possibly lure Tom Cruise to star. But once About a Boy author Nick Hornby and High Fidelity scribe D.V. DeVincentis turned in a script, New Line made the heartbreaking move to put the film into turnaround. Universal picked up rights to the film for Kimberly Peirce, director of Boys Don't Cry, but she left the tearjerker and finally settled into the Iraq War drama Stop-Loss.

Project Status: There may be too much in development costs going against Genius, but we're still hoping it's a Work in progress.

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