The New York Timesreports that Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme has optioned the movie rights to Zeitoun, Eggers' latest book about a Syrian man in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
Inspired by the book's cover, by Washington state-based artist Rachel Sumpter, Demme said he plans to do the film as an animated feature, possibly using a hand-drawn style.
The Times reports an Eggers rep as saying the option money was paid to the Zeitoun Foundation, a non-profit set up to use profits from the sale of the book to help rebuild New Orleans and promote human rights.