Hard Act to Follow

Novelization, Spinoffs Planned for Gibson's "Passion" 

HOLLYWOOD California (Ant Farmer's Almanac Newswire) — Stephen King, Thomas Harris and Anne Rice are under consideration for the job of penning the novelization of Mel Gibson's hit movie The Passion of the Christ.

Gibson's production company, Newmarket Films, has asked the three world-famous authors, each renowned for their vivid descriptions of bloodletting, gore, violence and the brutal torture of both body and soul, to submit a sample chapter and an outline for the book. 

"With a celebrity name like Mel Gibson's attached to it, we expect this book to do quite well," said a spokesman for Newmarket, "It's a great story. It's got everything: action, suspense, suffering, betrayal, bad guys, good guys, one very good guy and an inspiring, uplifting ending. Real mass appeal stuff," he enthused, "We're talking worldwide bestseller, here. This could be the Bible of novelizations. " 

Newmarket also announced today its deal with HBO to produce a mini-series spinoff of The Passion that will chronicle the post-Christ lives — but especially the gruesome, martyred deaths — of the apostles. Tentatively titled A.D. The Lives of the Saints, the series will focus on one apostle per episode with each installment filmed by a different director. Quentin Tarentino, John Carpenter, Wes Craven and Brian De Palma are said to have signed on to the project.