After several eager players engaged in an auction for for the rights to CHERRY, a novel by first-time author Nico Walker, the proceedings hit a unique snag as the imprisoned author ran out of phone minutes before he could seal the deal. You see, Walker is to remain in prison until 2020 for committing the robberies detailed in the Amazon best selling novel, and this past Sunday, the cord was cut, so to speak.
Published by Knopf, the book has been hailed as a cross between Jesus' Son and Reservoir Dogs. That's a mighty fine combo if you ask me, but what is it all about? Well, according to Deadline, the book takes place in Cleveland and revolves around a young man from an affluent family who marries his hometown girlfriend before joining the Army and shipping out to Iraq. An Army medic, he is unprepared for the grisly reality that awaits him, and the rough and tumble nature of his fellow soldiers who smoke, huff computer duster, take painkillers, watch porn, and get gruesomely injured all too regularly. By the time the soldier returns home, he has an un-diagnosed case of extreme PTSD and has become hooked on the opioids prescribed him. He finds an outlet that forces him to focus and makes him feel the way he did in pressure combat situations: he robs banks.
Recently, The New York Times ran a detailed profile on Walker, where it was said that the outlaw swiped close to $40,000 from four different banks in the span of four months or so. While continuing to cope with the demons of his PTSD, Walker acquired a typewriter while in prison which he used to recant his spree to page-turning effect. He then handed the pages off to Matthew Johnson, co-owner of Tyrant Books, who then used his talent and connections to pen a Buzzfeed article that got the attention of several Hollywood suitors. Now, there's a mad dash to secure Walker's story, only the author has depleted his minutes and cannot arrange to give the greenlight to any potential studios. Someone smuggle this man a prison cellphone!
Thankfully, UTA’s Jason Richman is standing by for when Walker's minutes replenish, so the talks can begin anew. In the meantime, it sounds as if Walker can look forward to a favorable future upon completing his sentence.