The Hollywood Reporter is saying that 20th Century Fox has brought in Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada, 27 Dresses) to adapt Benjamin Mee’s memoir, We Bought A Zoo, for the big screen. The book should make a great film, as it tells the story of how Mee and his cancer stricken wife bought the Dartmoor Wildlife Park in Devon, rechristened it Dartmoor Zoological Park and rehabilitated the 500 animals there, which had been living in poor conditions.
The park had previously been the bane of animal rights activists, who had protested about the living conditions of animals and the safety precautions taken for visitors. The previous owner was charged with 16 offences, eventually being found guilty of breeding endangered Siberian Tigers outside of an organised breeding programme, and of keeping them in poor conditions (tigers were found in an old concrete bear pit, with no grass or other amenities). Mee stepped in after the park was put up for sale but failed to find a buyer, putting the lives of all the animals there at risk. Despite being a graphic designer with no animal expertise, Mee completely refashioned the zoo and successfully reopened it, despite having to also cope with the fact his wife’s brain tumour had re-emerged.
It’s the sort of story that already sounds like a Hollywood film, so it’s little suprise that 20th Century Fox picked it up. Let’s just hope they don’t relocate it to the US, as so often happens with these adaptations.
CLICK HERE to see more about the great book of We Bought A Zoo at Amazon.co.uk