Five books by national bestselling author William Elliott Hazelgrove have been optioned or are in active development for film, according to an announcement from Rosebud Productions, the production company formed by Hazelgrove and executive producer Allan Grafman. The projects span historical drama, inspirational family stories, and holiday entertainment, marking a significant expansion of Hazelgrove's work from the printed page to the screen.
The five properties are at various stages of development. "Real Santa," Hazelgrove's Christmas novel about a father who launches an elaborate plan to prove to his doubting daughter that Santa Claus is real, is being developed as the debut live-action film from TaleSphere Studios, the venture launched by AETH Entertainment and Kartoon Studios. A screenplay has been completed.
"My Best Year," an inspirational family drama centering on Paul and Julie Clampet as they search for a school willing to give their autistic son Toby the senior year he deserves, has a feature screenplay written by veteran screenwriter Barney Cohen. The project is moving through development and packaging.
"Dead Air: The Night Orson Welles Terrified America," Hazelgrove's acclaimed nonfiction book about the creation and chaotic aftermath of Welles's legendary 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast, has been optioned with a screenplay completed. The film adaptation is being produced by Aimée Peyronnet, one of the producers of Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones. The book received national attention from the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, and Air Mail.
"Morristown: The Kidnapping of George Washington," which tells the true story of a secret British plan to kidnap George Washington from his Morristown headquarters during the American Revolution, has been optioned by producer Sidney Sherman and The Thornton Brothers, who have completed a screenplay adaptation.
"Capone's Vault: The Biggest Disaster in Television," published for the fortieth anniversary of the infamous live television special, reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the night Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone's secret vault before an audience of nearly thirty million people—and found virtually nothing. Producer Sidney Sherman and The Thornton Brothers have also optioned this book for screen adaptation.
"These five projects could not be more different, but each begins with the same thing—a remarkable story and characters facing an extraordinary moment," Hazelgrove said. "Allan Grafman and I formed Rosebud Productions to help bring stories like these to the screen, and it is exciting to see this entire portfolio gaining momentum."
Grafman serves as executive producer through Rosebud Productions, working with Hazelgrove and individual production teams to guide the properties toward the screen. "The breadth of William's work makes this an unusually versatile portfolio," Grafman said. "These projects encompass history, suspense, family drama, comedy and holiday entertainment, but they are all highly visual, character-driven stories with broad audience appeal."
Hazelgrove's earlier screen-development history includes "Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson." Michael Moskowitz's feature adaptation of that book won the 2017 Silver Prize from the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards and was subsequently optioned for development.
Hazelgrove is the national bestselling author of ten novels and fourteen works of narrative nonfiction. His books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist, along with selections and honors from the American Library Association, Junior Library Guild, History Book Club, and the Military Writers Society of America. His work and career have been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, NPR, and C-SPAN, as well as on national television and radio.
The move to adapt five books simultaneously reflects a growing trend in the publishing and entertainment industries, where proven literary properties are increasingly sought after for film and television. For Hazelgrove, the options represent a major expansion of his creative reach, potentially bringing his stories to a much wider audience. For readers and viewers, the projects promise a diverse slate of films that could soon appear on screens, ranging from historical thrillers to heartwarming family dramas.
