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Jan 07, 2009


Darko Entertainment has acquired the novel "Fade" by the late young-adult fiction writer Robert Cormier.

The indie company, which will finance and produce the project, has tapped scribe Adam Prince to adapt.

Set in summer 1938, story centers on a 13-year-old who discovers he has a secret gift: He can "fade." When he learns that each generation of his family has one "fader," he realizes the dangers of his gift and how easy it is to abuse his power of invisibility.

Darko's Richard Kelly, Sean McKittrick and Ted Hamm will produce.

First published in 1988, book has been bouncing around Hollywood for two decades. At one point, Steven Spielberg was developing it.

"No one has been able to crack this story," said Kelly, who briefly toyed with the idea of adapting it himself. Cormier was best known for his acclaimed 1974 novel "The Chocolate War," which at one point was banned from several libraries due to its candid language and sexual references.

"Fade" was brought to Darko by producer Ilene Staple, who will also serve as a producer.

Darko is putting the final touches on Bobcat Goldthwait's "World's Greatest Dad," starring Robin Williams, which will bow at Sundance next week. The company is also financing and producing "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell," which is based on Tucker Max's bestseller. Darko is producing "Rogue's Gallery" alongside Infinity Media.

Prince's first screenplay, "Kerosene Cowboys," is being directed by Mario Van Peebles, and stars Cam Gigandet, Shane West and Rachael Leigh Cook.