J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias) "is hoping to option the rights to adapt Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin," according to the New York Times, which reported that the writer, producer and director "said he was close to signing a deal" with the author of this year's National Book Award winner.
"It was just a book that felt as compelling and poetic and funny and messy and heartbreaking and dizzying as any I’ve read," said Abrams.
"Hopefully we’re going to get a little cottage in the west of Ireland and go hang out for a while and work out a structure for the film," added McCann. "And then I’ll go away and write it."