Official Jon Ronson.com Forum

[jon ronson]

From this week's Variety...

Daily Variety

THEM' MAKES WAY TO U
BYLINE: MICHAEL FLEMING
BODY:
Universal Pictures has acquired rights to the Jon Ronson book "Them," which will be used as the basis for a Mike White script to be directed by Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead").
Jack Black and White will produce under their U-based Black and White banner along with Wright and Nira Park.
Them, an exploration of extremists, is described as a conspiracy comedy about one woman's journey to unmask the secret rulers of the world. White and Wright are using elements of it to hatch the story White will write.
U president of production Donna Langley is overseeing the pic with veep of production Damien Saccani.
White, who last scripted "The School of Rock," is working on "Nacho Libre," a comedy that stars his partner, Black, as a priest who moonlights as a wrestler to save an orphanage. Jared Hess ("Napoleon Dynamite") is directing. White wrote the script with Hess and his wife, Jerusha Hess.
After making his breakthrough on the comical zombie pic "Shaun of the Dead," Wright has been producing and directing "Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life" for Universal.
"Them" is not based on the 1954 atomic-age sci-fi classic of the same name.

[Netmate]

Congratulations! That's absolutely fantastic. I wonder how closely Mike White will keep to the book - do you have any oversee at all? The direction by Edgar Wright does seem just right, I can imagine a 'Shaun of the Dead' comedy feel to it. Golly, I am now going to have a casting field day in my head!

[jon ronson]

No, it is all theirs now. But Shaun of the Dead and School of Rock are two of the very best comedies of the last few years, so I am in safe hands. Not to mention the fact that Mike White wrote one of my favourite films ever - The Good Girl.

[Netmate]

You have definitely given them a gift. They certainly have lots of material to work from.

[alice]

nice juan

[jon ronson]

Everything is going to be okay now. Everything!

[mrtumnus12]

[jon ronson]

From EMPIRE magazine

Edgar Faces Off Against Them!

Shaun's Wright to direct extremist comedy
20 September 2005

In this crazy world that we live in, there's a terrible tendency to take extremism seriously. Now, sure, there are a few violent mixed nuts out there, but let's not forget that some extremists believe that the world's ruling elite are descended from giant lizards, or that others enjoy wearing pointy white sheets on their heads or worship owl effigies. So it's good news that Edgar "Shaun of the Dead" Wright is lined up to direct Them, about adventures with extremists.
The film's based on the book "Them: Adventures With Extremists" by satirical journalist Jon Ronson, with the screenplay to be adapted by Mike "School of Rock" White. The film is described as a "conspiracy comedy", with the main character (who's set to be a woman onscreen, although it's Ronson himself in the non-fiction book) investigating various extremists in an attempt to find the real rulers of the world.
There's no word yet on when this will fit in to Wright's increasingly busy schedule, as he's also down to make long-awaited British action-comedy Hot Fuzz (stop reading this, Wright, and get back to work on that!) and romantic odyssey Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life. He was also rumoured to be close to signing on to direct the proposed big screen outing for titchy superhero Ant-Man.
But then, Mike White is rather busy too, since he's on screenwriting duties for Nacho Libre with buddy and producing partner Jack Black (who'll also be producing this, along with White, Wright and Shaun of the Dead producer Nira Park). So there's no word on a start date, but we'll let you know more as soon as we do.

And from the Ain't It Cool website...

Edgar Wright's THEM?
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here... I know what you're thinking, from ANT-MAN to THEM, ol' Edgar must have a fixation on bugs! However THEM is not a remake of the classic '50s sci-fi flick THEM!, but rather an adaptation of the Jon Ronson book THEM: ADVENTURES WITH EXTREMISTS. Variety says that Mike White (SCHOOL OF ROCK) will write the screenplay and produce along with Jack Black under their production banner Black and White (creative, no?).
Amazon's summary on Ronson's book:
In Them, British humorist Jon Ronson relates his misadventures as he engages an assortment of theorists and activists residing on the fringes of the political, religious, and sociological spectrum. His subjects include Omar Bakri Mohammed, the point man for a holy war against Britain (Ronson paints him as a wily buffoon); a hypocritical but engaging Ku Klux Klan leader; participants in the Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas, battles; the Irish Protestant firebrand Ian Paisley; and David Ickes, who believes that the semi-human descendants of evil extraterrestrial 12-foot-tall lizards walk among us. Despite these characters' disparities, they are bound by a belief in the Bilderberg Group, the "secret rulers of the world." In a final chapter, Ronson manages, with surprising ease, to penetrate these rulers' very lair. He writes with wry, faux-naive wit and eschews didacticism, instead letting his subjects' words and actions speak for themselves.
Sounds like it could be a great satire on extremism... I especially like that knock on Scientology in the summary. Consider this book ordered for me! Anyone read it? Let us know how it is in talkback!

[BeansOnToast]

[jon ronson]

I did indeed go inside the Grove, and what I found in there was very, very weird. If you listen to my interview with George Noory on Coast to Coast you'll hear my views on the Grove.

[BeansOnToast]

Did you agree with Nixon that it was the faggiest place on earth? ;->

U can send my a copy if u want.

[jon ronson]

Well, I haven't been all over the earth... You can find the interview online.

[space adventures]

I love the fact that you are going to be a woman

[maxnugget]

This is fantastic news!! They're making the lead character a woman though! That's a little unusual. I would have put my money on John Cusack. Maybe Joan Cusack will get it. Anyway, congratulations Jon! You must be very pleased. We are too!

[kellie]