Less than two weeks after the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states, Hollywood is already calling. 20th Century Fox now has the life rights of Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit that went all the way to the highest court in the land.
The studio confirmed on Tuesday that it acquired Obergefell’s life rights, as well as the life rights of his lawyer, Al Gerhardstein. Fox also picked up the rights to 21 Years To Midnight, a book Obergefell is working on with journalist Debbie Cenziper. It still doesn’t have a publisher, but is expected to find one this week.
“It’s a transcendent love story about someone who goes to such a length for love that he ends up changing the world,” producer Wyck Godfrey (The Fault In Our Stars, Paper Towns) told The New York Times.
Godfrey will produce the film with Marty Bowen at the Fox 2000 division, which has been responsible for adaptations like Life of Pi and The Devil Wears Prada.
Obergefell married his longtime partner, John Arthur in 2013 in Maryland. However, they lived in Ohio and when Arthur died, Ohio would not put Obergefell down as Arthur's source on the death certificate. He then sued the state. On June 26, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a “fundamental right” and would be constitutional across the country. Prior to the ruling, same-sex marriage was already legal in 37 states, plus the District of Columbia.
Fox 2000 will have to find a screenwriter soon if they hope to get the movie done within the next two years.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com
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