DreamWorks Acquires Film Rights to Terry Pratchett's Bromeliad Trilogy

Posted on May 2, 2001

DreamWorks has acquired the film and television rights to Terry Pratchett's bestselling fantasy novels Truckers, Diggers and Wings, known collectively as the Bromeliad trilogy, it was announced by DreamWorks principal Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Truckers will be the first to be turned into a computer animated feature, under the direction of Andrew Adamson, who co-directed DreamWorks' upcoming computer animated comedy, Shrek. Adamson is again collaborating with one of the co-writers of `Shrek, Joe Stillman, with whom he is adapting the screenplay for Truckers.

The books follow the adventures of a group of ``nomes'' living in a department store. When their home is demolished, the ``nomes'' venture into the outside world for the first time and discover their true, alien origins. Author Terry Pratchett left the "g" out of "nomes" intentionally.

In making the announcement, Katzenberg said, ``There are few authors whose work lends itself to animation as well as Terry Pratchett's. His Bromeliad trilogy is a wonderful blend of fantasy, adventure and humor and I am honored to be able to bring his books to the screen, beginning with Truckers. Andrew Adamson is the perfect choice to direct this project. He brought an extraordinary level of ingenuity and enthusiasm to the production of 'Shrek,' and I am thrilled to have an opportunity to work with both him and Joe Stillman again.''

Author Terry Pratchett has sold over 23 million books worldwide. His works have been translated into 27 languages and he was awarded an OBE for services to literature in 1998. The 26th novel in his phenomenally successful Discworld series, Thief of Time, will be published the first week in May by HarperCollins in the U.S., and Doubleday in the UK.

Commenting on why he chose DreamWorks to bring his novels to the big screen, Pratchett noted, "I liked Chicken Run and Galaxy Quest, and you've got to be impressed when someone from DreamWorks phones up from Hollywood one night and turns up for lunch in Wiltshire, England the very next day."