Ruth Pomerance, the publishing professional who uncovered John Grisham’s The Firm back in 1990, will join Hyperion as senior editor.

In her new post, she will “focus on the acquisition and development of new stories and author talent that will translate across the Disney/ABC Television Group businesses.” Pomerance spent 30 years working in between the publishing, film and television industry. She developed books for a variety of producers, ranging from Scott Rudin, Arnold Kopelson, Fred Zollo, and John Davis. 

Here’s more from the release: “Pomerance has held posts at The Rockwell Group, USA Films, Artists Management Group, and the William Morris Agency where she began her career as a story editor. Most recently, Pomerance served as Executive Producer for the feature film adaptation of Judy Blume’s novel Tiger Eyes and Consultant to various entertainment firms including Image Entertainment.”

The Social Network producer Scott Rudin (pictured) may partner with InterActive Corp. chairman Barry Diller and Janklow & Nesbit Associates literary agent Luke Janklow on a new eBook publishing venture.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the trio would focus on “highbrow literary” projects. What do you think?

Here’s more from the article: “Key details about what authors might be involved and how they would be compensated, as well as whether the imprint would issue print versions of books, are not known. In March, Rudin hired John Schoenfelder, the editor of genre imprint Mulholland Books and previously an editor at St. Martin’s Press and Little Brown, to be the director of development for his production company.”

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Sony Pictures Entertainment will adapt Walter Isaacson‘s bestselling biography of Steve Jobs, with The Social Network screenwriter Aaron Sorkin writing on the script.

Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal had this statement:  “Jobs’ story is unique: he was one of the most revolutionary and influential men not just of our time but of all time. There is no writer working in Hollywood today who is more capable of capturing such an extraordinary life for the screen than Aaron Sorkin; in his hands, we’re confident that the film will be everything that Jobs himself was: captivating, entertaining, and polarizing.”

Mark Gordon, Scott Rudin and Guymon Casady will produce the upcoming biopic.  Deadline Hollywood has the release.

After ordering a pilot last year, HBO has passed on The Corrections, a television adaptation of Jonathan Franzen‘s bestselling novel.

Director Noah Baumbach shot the pilot and Franzen produced alongside Scott Rudin. Franzen discussed the project at a literary festival last year. Are you surprised?

Variety has the scoop: “The Corrections revolves around the troubles of a Midwestern couple and their three adult children as they trace their lives from the mid-20th century to ‘one last Christmas’ together near the turn of the millennium. The parents were played by Chris Cooper and Dianne Wiest while Ewan McGregor and Maggie Gyllenhaal were cast as the couple’s adult children.”

Ewan McGregor, the actor who played a crazy private detective in Eye of the Beholder and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels, has been cast in HBO’s upcoming adaptation of Jonathan Franzen‘s The Corrections.

Here’s more from The Hollywood Reporter: “McGregor will play Chip, the middle child of an elderly Midwestern couple ([Chris Cooper], [Dianne Wiest]) who reunite the family for one last Christmas.”

Who else would you cast for this grim family drama? As we noted earlier this year, Noah Baumbach and producer Scott Rudin were involved.

HBO has approved a “half-hour comedy project” based on Karen Russell‘s critically acclaimed novel,  Swamplandia. Producer Scott Rudin will lead the project.

Follow this link to read a free excerpt from Swamplandia. The debut novel focused on a teenaged alligator wrestler who takes a surreal journey through the Florida Everglades.

The Hollywood Reporter also revealed details about other literary projects at HBO: “A search is under way for a writer on the project, with Rudin attached to executive produce the comedy and author Russell consulting … In addition, Rudin is attached to Noah Baumbach‘s adaptation of Jonathan Frazen‘s The Corrections and Cynthia Mort‘s half-hour comedy based on scribe Mary Karr‘s life.”

At the New Yorker Festival, Jonathan Franzen confirmed that he is working on an adaptation of The Corrections for HBO. The video embedded above features a small preview of the 86-minute talk with New Yorker editor David Remnick.

According to The Gothamist, the HBO series will have four seasons to be aired over the course of four years. Franzen explained: “I’m really engaged [in the project] … We have an opportunity, I think, to do something that has not been done where we know what happens in the last episode. All four seasons can be very carefully designed in advance.” (via Shelf Awareness)

Franzen also confirmed the rumors that filmmaker Noah Baumbach and producer Scott Rudin were involved. Who would you cast as the members of the Lambert family?

According to Deadline, filmmaker Noah Baumbach may adapt Jonathan Franzen‘s The Corrections as an HBO drama series.

The Social Network producer Scott Rudin originally optioned The Corrections as a feature film; he would probably stay on as an executive producer. Baumbach and Franzen reportedly worked on the script for the pilot.

Here’s more from Deadline: “I hear HBO is nearing a pilot order for The Corrections … [which] revolves around the troubles of an elderly Midwestern couple and their three adult children, tracing their lives from the mid-twentieth century to ‘one last Christmas’ together near the turn of the millennium.”

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Author Ben Mezrich‘s latest project is a nonfiction book entitled Sex on the Moon. According to the LA Times, Sony Pictures has already optioned the film rights to the book proposal.

Here’s more from the article: “The new film tells the story of Thad Roberts, a once-promising young scientist working for NASA who back in 2004 hatched a crazy plan to steal highly prized moon rocks from his bosses at the Johnson Space Center and sell them on the Internet. The motivation: wanting to impress his girlfriend.”

Read more about the incident at this link. The production team behind The Social Network — Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti, Scott Rudin and Michael De Luca — will reunite for this project. Mezrich (pictured, via) tweeted the news: “The cat is out of the bag, new book new movie same amazing producers and studio…”

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Hyperion Books has reportedly won the auction for a book by Captain Richard Phillips, the ship captain held hostage by Somalian pirates and rescued by the Navy.

According to Crain’s NY, unnamed “publishing sources” say the final bid was around $500,000. Neither Hyperion nor Phillips’ agency commented on the deal. Last week, Columbia Pictures picked up the story for a film, the producers include Kevin Spacey and Scott Rudin.

Here’s more from the article: “According to sources, CAA–which represented Mr. Phillips for both the movie and book deals–had expected to field considerably higher offers for the memoir. Depressed book sales and possibly hero fatigue following a $3 million deal for Capt. Chesley Sullenberger‘s memoirs may have played a role in the lower price tag.” (Via HuffPo)