Even if you don’t remember it (really?), chances are you’ve read Lois Lowry’s The Giver at some point in life. The 1993 dystopian read is a staple in most English classes and surprisingly enough, has yet to be adapted to the big screen. Jeff Bridges (Tron Legacy, True Grit) has long been a supporter of an adaptation and now Variety reports that the project might become a reality.
Bridges and producer Nikki Silver have re-acquired the rights to the books. While Bridges’ camp won’t confirm anything, it’s no secret that he has an eye to play the titular role of the wise man. Vadim Perelman (House of Sand and Fog) has been optioned to pen a script and Bridges would also act as a co-producer alongside Silver.
The story follows a young boy named Jonas, growing up in a society seemingly free of emotion, strife, violence, passion and color. When selected to be the “Receiver of Memory,” Jonas encounters his predecessor known only as The Giver—a man of great importance to the community and capable of behaving in ways society cannot. Jonas learns that The Giver holds great knowledge of humanity, particularly focusing on the emotional aspects of humans: the experience of pain, love and even color. When Jonas is exposed to this knowledge, he questions whether he should keep society in the dark or risk chaos by exposing them to the more volatile areas of the human psyche.