Option Deal Signed

I’ve been getting questions on a regular basis about a TV series or movie for the Bobiverse. Finally, I can come clean. I’ve signed an option deal, which might end up being a movie, or a Netflix series, or a TV series, or honestly, nothing. It’s an “option” deal, so they still have to find a producer to take it on. Option deals expire.

(This is me trying to be an adult while dancing around like a crazy person)

Anyway, here’s the announcement in Publisher’s Marketplace:

Dennis Taylor’s WE ARE LEGION (WE ARE BOB), the first in the Bob Universe series, optioned to Endeavor Content, by Joel Gotler at Intellectual Property Group, on behalf of The Ethan Ellenberg Agency.

50 comments

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    • Tom on September 20, 2018 at 12:14 pm
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    Fingers crossed that this leads somewhere!!

    • Matthew Doyle on September 20, 2018 at 2:08 pm
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    That’s fantastic news! I’d watch in a heartbeat. From the first chapter of the first book to the last chapter of the third I was totally hooked. Finished all three in around a week which is unheard of for me lol. Love them all :0)

    • Kai on September 21, 2018 at 3:20 am
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    This is great news, congrats! Personally I hope for a series, so that the bobiverse gets the treatment it deserves.
    Are you able/contractually allowed to say anything regarding how much creative control you’d get with a movie/series at this point, or is that something that’s part of a later final contract deal?… Hopefully a lot 🙂

      • Skipjack on December 9, 2018 at 6:38 pm
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      I agree. Series

    • StrikitRich on September 21, 2018 at 8:43 am
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    Hopefully this will lead to a sequel? Hint Hint, Nudge Nudge KnowwhatImean?

    • Maximum Beans on September 22, 2018 at 2:30 pm
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    I’d hope for a series so that vast chunks of the story don’t go missing. I’ve always thought that Seth McFarlane(spelling?) would be a great choice for playing Bob.

    • Sean on September 23, 2018 at 7:50 pm
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    I’m always leery of watching a movie based on a book. Look at what they did with “Ready Player One”, and that was with the help of the author. I suspect he had little to no experience dealing with hollywood. I was very impressed with “Altered Carbon” on Netflix. the changes they made were because the original didn’t translate well to the screen, and they tried to keep the flavor. The hotel is an excellent example. Poe works so very well on the screen. I think a series would work much, much better for the bobiverse, if possible.
    Netflix has shown they like realism in their sci-fi. There is no man-in-rubber-suit or greenscreen feel to “Lost in Space”. They have shown that they can really make a series work.
    As a fan of your series, I would rather forgo the movie experience totally rather than watch something that was substantially less than the original, if the choice was watch a watered down version or watch it not at all. I don’t mind, and even enjoy, a script that has been changed from the original because i realize it is hard to move the picture in your head to the picture on the screen. Douglas Adams proved that you can make several different versions of the same story and it still entertains.
    Basically, it boils down to ” I think most of your fans would rather you stand firm for your story to follow your vision, and have the studio back out, if the alternative was to watch something that removed the best parts of the story and made it just another hack sci-fi action flick.”
    Honestly, “Ready Player One” just gutted the book. A series would have been so much better, you could let the story unfold like it should instead of cramming the exciting parts in 2 hours with lukewarm storyline written to string them together.
    It is getting harder to find Sci-Fi that doesn’t involve near porn levels of romance, or magic creeping in, or just a poor copy of a popular story. Your Bobiverse is really refreshing and I look forward to reading many more stories.

      • Chris on September 17, 2019 at 3:08 pm
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      Books are different from movies. As long as you keep comparing you will not be happy.

  1. Sir…this is huge…Please please please do your best to make sure the treatment does not lose sight of the important questions you are asking about the future of humanity…don’t let it be a dumb space opera…we need thoughtful discussion if we are …to be legion

    • Brian C on September 25, 2018 at 12:18 pm
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    An animated anime looking series on Netflix would be the bomb.

      • Moocher on September 27, 2018 at 10:34 am
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      I was thinking the very same thing. Or even, y’know, an actual anime … with a manga tie in.

    • Sean on September 25, 2018 at 8:26 pm
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    By the way, I failed to congratulate you on the option on your series! And as for earlier comments on a possible Bob actor, I wish ray porter could do it. He is already the voice of Bob for audiobook listeners. He makes Bob live in our minds, I wish he could do it on the screen.

    • Michel Maas on September 26, 2018 at 8:55 am
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    I would subscribe to whatever platform this would carry. No questions asked.

  2. Congratulations! I hope for two things. First, that Bobverse gets picked up. Second, that you retain creative rights and have say in the creation and ongoing production of whatever is made.

    • Alex Rademacher on October 5, 2018 at 11:29 am
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    Congrats!

    I’ll watch what ever they give me.

    Would hope for a netflix series (mini?) 1 season per book, with how ever many episodes it takes to tell the story correctly. (6-13?) could be animated or live /cgi action

    WooHoo!

    (joking) I’m available to play homer, Riker, Loki or Thor , or maybe archimedes ( i have the right ears for that role)

    🙂

    • Jath on October 6, 2018 at 12:06 pm
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    I’m hoping Netflix series. This is not movie material… This is waaaaay too complex and extensive for that. We need a 25 episode season just to get through all this material.

    I’m super excited.

    • Elijah on October 6, 2018 at 8:09 pm
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    If you do, make it a Netflix TV series, it will much better capture the essence of the book. I know Ready Player One movie was bad and nothing compared to the book because there was not enough time.

    • Jason on October 8, 2018 at 4:09 pm
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    I just found this series on Audible, and did a web search hoping to find this news.

    Thank you.

    • Anna on October 9, 2018 at 10:20 pm
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    Considering success on audible platform, your reps should totally pitch to Amazon. They’re always looking for original IP, and could be successful synergy between books, audiobook, and video tie in.

    • Scott Dalrymple on October 10, 2018 at 7:16 pm
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    Dennis, I loved the Bobiverse series. I listened to all three in audiobook format. Several time I thought, this is the perfect premis for a TV series. Perhaps it could be kicked off with a movie. Like the van (mumble) probes, the series would expand and go on forever.
    Keep writing.
    Scott

    • Todd Keller on October 12, 2018 at 7:00 am
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    Awesome man– Absolutely loved this series! Fingers crossed 😉

    • Daniel Wiener on October 12, 2018 at 3:34 pm
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    Like everyone else, I’m hoping for the best. It always amazes me when Hollywood takes a great book and turns it into a crap movie or TV series, when all they had to do was faithfully follow the book(s). Sometimes they get it right (e.g., LOTR, Harry Potter, The Martian, Outlander), but all too often they don’t and there’s nothing the author can do about it. Either the author has signed away all intellectual rights, or the author has picked a poor partner simply because the choices were limited. We shall see.

    • John on October 15, 2018 at 10:23 am
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    That would be awesome

    • Ron on October 23, 2018 at 12:31 am
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    I pray for a series, the bobiverse is something very special to me and I really hope they do it justice by telling it all.

    • Nicholes S Doan on October 25, 2018 at 4:13 pm
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    Please let make this happen

    • Sean Glynn on October 28, 2018 at 2:58 pm
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    I mentioned how amazing it would be for ray porter to be able to play bob in a “we are bob” series or movie. I just looked him up on imdb. He could do it! He isn’t exactly what I pictured for Bob, but i have to say that the beard would make him perfect for Riker. I cold easily accept him as Bob. I’m not trying to start any movement or anything; I’m just saying it would be so perfect if Ray could play bob.
    Imdb picture of ray. He is the dude with the beard.
    https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDU3MDkzNDQ5NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMjQxMjM0MjE@._V1_.jpg

    • Chas on November 14, 2018 at 6:35 am
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    Can we have hourly updates?

      • Matt Kinney on March 13, 2019 at 12:46 pm
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      # Following, we need more updates.

    • Joe on November 19, 2018 at 9:42 am
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    Dennis, In the summer of 2017, I talked with Ethan Ellenberg about acquiring the TV/Film rights for We Are Legion. Ethan wisely turned me down and found a better option in California. However, during that time period, I wrote a script for a Bobiverse series pilot.

    I don’t know your involvement with option deal with Endeavor, but if you are working on a script and want an alternate perspective, I would be happy to help.

    Best,
    Joe

    P.S. My brief bona fides is a Masters in writing and a script that went through he PAGE Int. film competition.

    1. I have as little to do with the business end of things as possible, and will always defer to my agent. I have no idea how scripts get accepted or approved or reviewed or whatever. You should talk to Ethan about that.

        • Joe on November 20, 2018 at 8:16 am
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        Dennis, Thanks for letting me know and getting back to me. I appreciate that.

        Good luck,
        Joe

    • David on November 26, 2018 at 10:10 pm
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    Happy to hear it. Though I imagine do to the ummm anthology nature? of the narrative, that I am legion will be fairly difficult to adapt with out major changes. Not to mention the “uniqueness” of the main character/characters. Crossing my fingers for the best.

    • Sara on December 7, 2018 at 3:43 am
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    I just discovered your book on tape through audible and I must say I’m very impressed! This is the most enjoyable book I’ve read/listened to in ages. Thank you for an enjoyable and clever read!
    Oh I hope that nextflix picks this up. They will do a fabulous job of bringing the book to life and doing it justice. Congratulations!!!

    • Kade on December 9, 2018 at 6:15 pm
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    I’ve always pictured OG Bob as Jason Bateman.
    I just hope whoever picks this up turns it into a series, not a movie. Even Spielberg couldn’t fit Ready Player One into a movie. Meanwhile SciFi is doing amazing things with The Expanse series, which I thought was meh.

    • Sheila on January 26, 2019 at 6:40 pm
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    I am so excited to find out there could be a chance to see the Bobiverse in screen! I agree with most everyone that a Netflix series makes the most sense. I’ve always thought of Tom Hanks as being a perfect Bob. I’m looking forward to the next book!

    • Naida Mayer on January 28, 2019 at 11:18 pm
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    It’s got to be maybe not of a full-fledged TV show but at least a 6-10 Episode per season Per book the movie would rush through the story too quickly missing out on important details Butchering major sections of the story like what happened to ready player one. And leads over to the I read the book elitists the expands has done a good job of it but because the story is so long that and having trouble finding people to keep the story going. Your story is a simple three short seasons.

    • Nullpersona on February 8, 2019 at 5:47 pm
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    Endeavor mentions virtual reality/augmented reality in their portfolio, and have a recent tangential relationship with Epic games. Does that option deal include the possibility of interactive media, like games or vr/ar?

  3. I agree with the series to keep the value of the story. There are only a few exceptions where the series/movies are better than the book, in my opinion “the expanse” and “game of thrones” are good examples of that. I assume you don’t want to make the whole thing yourself and with the audiobooks it turned out really well letting audible handle it. But I think audible knows what they are doing and it’s their business to supplement the content. There are so many examples where hollywood has a different audience in mind than the ppl reading your book. I hope the result will be something you would like, thats good enough for me.

    And also agree with the hourly updates! 😉

  4. I lived in LA CA doing 3D animation a while ago. Option are common, but options with an Exec. Producer with three films is a different matter. From IMDB Joel Gotler is an Exec. Producer who knows how to make money on 3D animated and mixed live-action / CGI films.

    • Gordon on March 25, 2019 at 12:16 pm
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    There are a lot of books, probably the majority of them, that could convert well to a movie or TV series. Not many can or do convert well to a game. The Bobiverse would seem to lend itself exquisitely to a game, Outland too, but unless you bring the other uploads into the mix, singularity trap, not so much.

    SPOILER ALERT!

    Bobiverse, you have built into the story, your research center for new technologies at the Bill’s Skunkworks, strategy for space battles and real estate control using min/max, denial of resources, the timeline for building colony ships vs. printers, all concepts that would fit well into a game, and if done well, it could almost be made to look like the book was written from a play through the game. As in many games, at the beginning you only control one unit or have one place you can go or do, but then once you reach a point in the game, ie once skut (spelling? hay, I read the audio book) communications come online, you can control more than one star system. All these concepts / constraints that are included in many games, but have no logical basis for in the game other that makes the game more playable, are all written into the story line of the game.

    Outland, in the beginning you have some amount of time to go to the new world to collect gold to bring back to the old world to buy things to bring to the new world to set up a base, then the volcano errupts, and you can’t go back to old world any more; you have to live off of what you have collected or can make. Defending this new base from the locals ie. dinosaurs, collecting resources, rebuilding society, all part of a great game, but that is only the beginning of a game, or it is a very short game.

    • Kaio on July 5, 2019 at 1:03 pm
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    Director got to be Edgar Wright, it feels like the bobiverse needs the best cinematography.

    I mean I’m probably the only one to say Matt Bomer would be a great Bob based of his character Neal Caffrey on ‘White Collar’, snarky, fun and most importantly a do everything savant. instead of classical art and heists It’s Sci-fi and Scientific Development.

    But they could cast Tommy Wiseau and it’d still be great if you hold at least some creative control. (Don’t want another world war Z esque movie adaptation)
    what ever happens I wish you luck!

    • John on December 10, 2019 at 5:18 pm
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    Omg omg omg I just saw this I loved all three have listened to each box about ever 2 months or so. Please release more, take my money!!!!!

    • Gwen on February 9, 2020 at 8:08 am
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    Please please please please don’t let it be the next “Altered Carbon”. I loved that book, and Netflix destroyed it making it into a series. I would cry for a week if they did that to poor Bob!

    • EleniG on July 17, 2020 at 5:45 am
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    I vote for TV series and Matt Damon for Bob!

    • Archimedes on October 21, 2020 at 6:55 pm
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    I’m coming to your blog after finishing the first three books in the last two weeks and having recently started Heaven’s River. I’m definitely a fan!

    The first thing I thought after finishing the first book was that this story HAS to be a TV show or movie. Or both. It’s a fantastic story and I can only imagine how wonderful it would turn out with a visionary director at the helm. I really do hope it is picked up by somebody.

    • Robert Osorio on December 13, 2020 at 12:41 pm
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    First off, I’m 3/4 of the way through Heaven’s river (audible), after having first re-listened to the first three books as it’s been over a year. The re-read was just wonderful, and gave me a fresh feel going into the new book.

    I have been thoroughly enjoying Heaven’s river. Thank you so much for a deep an honest sequel.

    My thoughts on a movie/Tv series is I would HOPE for a TV series/miniseries. I don’t think a movie would to it justice. We’d end up with something like the Ready Player One movie which, while the movie itself is entertaining, it in no way captures the fullness of the book. Even just the first book is too much to fit into a single movie.

    I also have my doubts how this will look. So much of your novels involve Bobs talking to themselves, which doesn’t lend itself to the small or silver screen format. Then again The Martian was written in a similar way, and the movie did it justice (well, expect for that stupid Ironman thing at the end). With the right screenplay writer and director… hmmm.

    • Keith on March 17, 2021 at 6:20 am
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    I listened to We are Legion (We are Bob) a while ago on Audible and was hooked.
    So I had to listen to For We Are Many and was double hooked.
    Then I listened to All These Worlds and was triple hooked.
    I am currently half way through listening to Heaven’s River, quadruple hooked.
    So a TV Series would be the icing on the cake.
    Are there plans for a quintuple hooked book being written?
    Ray Porter reads the books on Audible very eloquently, so I wonder how he feels about acting all the Bob parts?
    Many thanks for such a great set of Novels.

    • Henny on September 12, 2022 at 11:07 am
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    Oh I do hope they cast well. I’m thinking Bob could be KARAN SONI
    He is the person in my head when I read and then re read then listen again to the Bob books. He is the best actor in my humble British opinion. Please say they’ll ask him?

    • Leo the Bob's fan on February 25, 2023 at 1:14 am
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    I hope the virtual reality will be created by someone too!

    • Flo on March 7, 2024 at 6:08 am
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    Hey Dennis! Just finished the first book and I loved it right from the beginning. Thank you so much!
    Any updates on the series adaptation or has that ship sailed?
    Best wishes!

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