Dave Eggers' year just keeps getting better.

The New York Times reports 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.