Yesterday a New York Times article explored the story behind the upcoming adaptation, “Extraordinary Measures.” The report offered a rare glimpse into the struggles producers face when adapting nonfiction.
The film is adapted from “The Cure,” book by Wall Street Journal senior writer Geeta Anand (pictured). It recounts the real-life story of a father who fought to save his children from a genetic disorder. The article explores the adaptation’s “tortured back story,” as the producing team behind “Erin Brockovich” (another movie adapted from a real-life story) tried to find a home for the film.
Here’s more from the NY Times: “Other studios passed on making ‘Extraordinary Measures,’ which stars Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser in a story about the difficult subject of Pompe disease, an often fatal neuromuscular genetic disorder that affects the muscles and organs of children… Mr. Ford, who cut his fee to keep the movie’s budget at about $30 million and served as a producer, plays a brilliant but cranky scientist who teams up with a father (Mr. Fraser) whose children are Pompe disease patients.”