BOOK IT

Safari Films options Tyler Knox’s novel “Kockroach,” about an insect who wakes up in a seedy Times Square hotel and finds that he has been transformed into a human being.

Knox represented by Joel Gotler at IPG (Intellectual Property Group) for film rights, and Wendy Sherman at Wendy Sherman Associates for literary rights. Jeff Marks, producer, for Safari Films. The book is published by William Morrow.

The opening scene of Knox’s novel is an homage to Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” and a jolt for readers: To his horror, a cockroach realizes he has become a “large, vile creature.” Critics praised the book, in which an insect-human draws on his innate amorality, greed and insatiable appetites to scurry up the ladder of the human jungle -- rising through organized crime, business and national politics. It’s a bracing read. But is it a movie?

The deal

The players

The back story

Producer Jeff Marks thought so when he stumbled on the novel in a bookstore. The plot fascinated him, because it moved quickly beyond the opening shock to become a noir-driven tale of lust and corruption, American-style. And like many producers looking for material, he was drawn to a work of literary fiction. When Marks, a former development executive (“Kiss the Girls,” “Along Came a Spider”), contacted Gotler and Sherman to set up a meeting with Knox, both sides were eager to talk about an option deal. But the filmmaker and author had notably different concerns.

For Marks, a key hurdle was how to take viewers through the first scene, to make it believable and compelling: “You need to find the right balance and tone, so it’s not too silly or too serious,” he said. “The answer will depend on who writes and directs the movie.” For Knox, who writes under a pseudonym, the challenge was to preserve his character’s ruthlessness and oddly fascinating charm. “I didn’t want him to become a sentimental human being,” he said. “I didn’t want Hollywood to turn him into a Disney character.”

Both sides agreed on how to proceed, and Marks optioned the novel for a “significant” purchase price, according to Publishers Marketplace. Gotler, a veteran book-to-film agent, said: “This book is magical. But we need a screenwriter and there’s a strike on. Once we get past that, I think the project will really gather momentum.”

josh.getlin@latimes.com