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SHANTARAM: Garth Davis Directing Joel Edgerton in Film Adaptation

Garth Davis Shantaram Novel

Garth Davis is directing Shantaram. Garth Davis being chosen to direct Shantaram answers the question of who would direct the book to film adaptation. The novel Shantaram was written by Gregory David Roberts and the screen rights were acquired for $2 Million.

On the people behind the scenes of Shantaram:

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Joel Edgerton [is] attached to star and Inifinitum Nihil partners Johnny Depp and Christi Dembrowski producing with GK Films’ Graham King…The script is by Eric Roth…Sarah Schechter is steering the project for Warner Bros

On Shantaram‘s path from book to film:

The film has been with Warner Bros since the studio paid $2 million for screen rights in 2004, back when Depp wanted to star, only to see the film stall and fall apart because of the writers strike. Depp recently jump-started the process as producer by personally courting Edgerton.

On Garth Davies:

Davis is an Australian helmer who was Emmy nominated for Top Of The Lake, five episodes of which he directed with Jane Campion. The mini premiered at Sundance.

The plot line of the novel Shantaram:

“It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured.”

So begins this epic, mesmerizing first novel set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay. Shantaram is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear.

Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay’s hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere.

As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city’s poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power.

Burning slums and five-star hotels, romantic love and prison agonies, criminal wars and Bollywood films, spiritual gurus and mujaheddin guerrillas—this huge novel has the world of human experience in its reach, and a passionate love for India at its heart. Based on the life of the author, it is by any measure the debut of an extraordinary voice in literature.

Leave your thoughts on Garth Davis directing Shantaram below in the comments section. For more Shantaram photos, videos, and information, visit our Shantaram Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, or “like”us on Facebook. Shantaram has no US theater release date yet.

Source: Deadline

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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