Screenwriter David Koepp Sells Debut Novel to HarperCollins

HarperCollins Acquires World Rights to COLD STORAGE by Acclaimed Screenwriter David Koepp

Film Rights Acquired by Paramount Pictures

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HarperCollins Publishers announced today it has acquired world rights for COLD STORAGE, the debut novel by David Koepp, the celebrated screenwriter of such legendary films as Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, and Panic Room.

    “I am excited to add David to the growing list of authors that HarperCollins publishes globally”

The two-book deal was negotiated by Zachary Wagman, Executive Editor at Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, with Creative Arts Agency on behalf of Koepp. COLD STORAGE will be published by Ecco in the US and by HQ in the UK and Australia. It will also be published directly by HarperCollins in Brazil, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Sweden, and in the Spanish language in Spain and the Americas.

COLD STORAGE is about Roberto Diaz, a national security expert who helps contain a deadly, contagious organism to a secure government facility. Thirty-two years later, he must help two unwitting storage unit security guards quarantine it yet again—before its gruesome effects become irreversible.

“I am excited to add David to the growing list of authors that HarperCollins publishes globally,” said Brian Murray, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers. “Our teams have a proven track record of publishing blockbuster works, especially in conjunction with a film project. Cold Storage will surely be another success.”

“I am so thrilled to be working with David Koepp. I’ve been a fan of his cinematic talents for years, from Jurassic Park to Panic Room (not to mention The Paper and Death Becomes Her). To see those same skills applied to his first novel is nothing short of extraordinary. It’s such a vivid and addictive reading experience, full of action and pathos, as well as subtle and effective touches of humor,” said Zachary Wagman.

“What I love is the sheer propulsive force of the storytelling and the ease with which he establishes his characters,” said Daniel Halpern, publisher of Ecco.

The film rights to COLD STORAGE were acquired by Paramount Pictures, with Koepp and Gavin Polone set to produce. Koepp will be writing the screenplay as well.

David Koepp is a celebrated American screenwriter and director best known for his work on Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, War of the Worlds, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Mission: Impossible. His work on screen has grossed over $6 billion worldwide.

About HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 18 countries. With two hundred years of history and more than 120 branded imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year in 17 languages, and has a print and digital catalog of more than 200,000 titles. Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals and the Man Booker Prize. HarperCollins, headquartered in New York, is a subsidiary of News Corp (Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) and can be visited online at corporate.HC.com.

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