Moments ago C.J. Box announced via his verified Facebook account that he’s withdrawn the Joe Picket television project from the producers who were in charge of developing it because he didn’t like the direction they were taking in adopting his novels to fit on the small screen.
Here’s his post–which you can visit by clicking here. Scroll down to read why I couldn’t be happier with today’s announcement, even though I’d love to see a Joe Pickett television series in the future.
Look, I’d love to see a Joe Picket TV series as much as any other fan of the novels, but only if it’s done right. That means, as Box stated, that the integrity of the characters and everything else he’s built over the course of sixteen novels (including tomorrow’s Off The Grid) must be preserved. Otherwise, what’s the point?
A lot of authors, but certainly not all of them, give up creative control once they sell the rights to their novels. I applaud C.J. Box for caring more about keeping things true to the stories he created, which we as fans have loved for many years and hold near and dear to our Pickett-loving hearts.
Let’s face it, a Joe Picket television series not based closely on the books–isn’t even a Joe Pickett television series! It’s just a bunch of characters kind of like the ones in the books, running around bearing their names without embodying the traits and qualities we love and respect most about Box’s characters. Sorry Hollywood, we’ll wait for the real deal!
Way to go Mr. Box, and thanks for putting your fans first yet again.