Posted in: Movies, Recent Updates | Tagged:

The Fear Index Has Robert Harris On Board To Write, Paul Greengrass To Direct

Published Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:30:38 -0500

Last updated Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:30:49 -0500

Novelist and screenwriter Robert Harris is a hot ticket when it comes to book-to-screen adaptations, having already seen five of his novels bought up for film or TV production. He made his screenwriting debut last year with an adaptation of his novel The Ghost and according to an interview with the Telegraph has just signed up to adapt his latest novel The Fear Index.

This speaks volumes about the value placed on Harris' writing hand, since the novel won't even be released until next month and was picked up by Fox after Harris had written only six of its 19 total chapters.

The plot, as far as we can gather, revolves around the stock market and a man who invents a computer that is capable of predicting human mood swings. He uses the computer to make a fortune through a hedge-fund, but things start to go wrong after an intruder breaches his security systems and gains access to the computer.

I know very little about the stock market and economy, but I have enjoyed the stories of the strange whims upon which the financial market rides. My personal favourite is the rumour started by a teenager on 4Chan than Steve Jobs had had a heart attack, which caused Apple's stock to collapse from $104.04 to $94.65 per share in the space of 10 minutes, racking up a total loss of $9 billion in market value. When investors are that easy to troll, it's no wonder we keep having financial meltdowns.

Harris confirmed to The Telegraph that Paul Greengrass, director of The Bourne Ultimatum and United 93, has signed on to direct the movie, which means that we're probably in for a pretty solid thriller.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!