If “The Firm” then “16 Souls”

John Grisham is the master of legal thrillers. He has written classics like “the Firm,” “the Rainmaker,” and “the Client.” Since I’m more into books than movies, I’ve decided to take a different approach and tell why I think “16 Souls” be made into a movie. Below is a summary of “16 Souls,” it was taken off of Amazon.com.

A pilot’s emergency maneuver lands him in court in this thriller by a New York Times–bestselling author who “knows how to keep his readers turning pages.” —Booklist

On takeoff from Denver during a winter blizzard, an airliner piloted by veteran Captain Marty Mitchell overruns a commuter plane from behind. Bizarrely, the fuselage of the smaller aircraft is tenuously wedged onto the wing of his Boeing 757, leading Mitchell to an impossible life-or-death choice.

Mitchell’s decision will land the former military pilot in the crosshairs of a viciously ambitious district attorney determined to send him to prison for doing his job. Despondent and deeply wounded by what he sees as betrayal by the system, Mitchell at first refuses to defend himself or even assist the corporate lawyer forced to represent him.

Pitted against the prosecutorial prowess of a DA using Mitchell’s case to audition for a political appointment is young defense attorney Judith Winston. Her lack of experience in criminal cases could mean the end of Mitchell’s freedom, if he doesn’t end his own life first. But like the pilot she represents, she will not give up in the face of devastating odds—and she’s growing ever more determined to expose the corruption behind his personal nightmare . . .

“King of the modern-day aviation thriller.” —Publishers Weekly

“In the air, or in a courtroom, nobody writes a better thriller than John J. Nance.” —Steve Jackson, New York Times–bestselling author

Here are the reasons why I think “16 Souls” should be made into a movie:

1) The plot is excellent. It’s a legal thriller that would make the aforementioned John Grisham proud.

2) The main characters are well developed. The secondary characters are more than just names, they play minor but important roles.

3) Like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” this book lends itself as a movie.

4) John J. Nance uses his knowledge of aviation to set up the courtroom drama.

5) There are some intriguing little mysteries in the book that don’t come up until the end.

The next question is how to cast the movie. In the book, Marty Mitchell is a veteran pilot (and former military), Tom Hanks would be the best person for the job. His attorney Judith Winston, Scarlett Johanson. The DA Richardson, Nicholas Cage. Judge Gonzales, Javier Barden. The pilot of the commuter aircraft Michelle, Meg Ryan.

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks had good chemistry in two other films granted they were romantic comedies, but this gives them a chance to work together on a drama.

The opening scenes of the movie would be the the incident that put Captain Mitchell in this situation to begin with. How he overran the commuter plane with the fuselage stuck in his wing, and how he landed with Michelle’s help both planes safely with one casualty.

The beginning of the book provides the next scene, Marty Mitchell on the 14,000 foot plateau of a mountain contemplating and attempting suicide.

The courtroom battle between DA Richardson and Ms. Winston would be very interesting to watch.

The secondary story in the book (and movie) features reporter Scott Bogosian researching the the collision of Mountaineer flight 2612 and Regal flight 12. He interviews as many passengers as he can for his story.

Remember the comment about secondary characters playing minor but important roles? I won’t tell you how, but Captain Mitchell’s fate is determined by a couple of these characters.

This would be a fantastic movie to make and to watch. If “The Firm” then “16 Souls”

John Grisham is the master of legal thrillers. He has written classics like “the Firm,” “the Rainmaker,” and “the Client.” Since I’m more into books than movies, I’ve decided to take a different approach and tell why I think “16 Souls” be made into a movie. Below is a summary of “16 Souls,” it was taken off of Amazon.com.

A pilot’s emergency maneuver lands him in court in this thriller by a New York Times–bestselling author who “knows how to keep his readers turning pages.” —Booklist

On takeoff from Denver during a winter blizzard, an airliner piloted by veteran Captain Marty Mitchell overruns a commuter plane from behind. Bizarrely, the fuselage of the smaller aircraft is tenuously wedged onto the wing of his Boeing 757, leading Mitchell to an impossible life-or-death choice.

Mitchell’s decision will land the former military pilot in the crosshairs of a viciously ambitious district attorney determined to send him to prison for doing his job. Despondent and deeply wounded by what he sees as betrayal by the system, Mitchell at first refuses to defend himself or even assist the corporate lawyer forced to represent him.

Pitted against the prosecutorial prowess of a DA using Mitchell’s case to audition for a political appointment is young defense attorney Judith Winston. Her lack of experience in criminal cases could mean the end of Mitchell’s freedom, if he doesn’t end his own life first. But like the pilot she represents, she will not give up in the face of devastating odds—and she’s growing ever more determined to expose the corruption behind his personal nightmare . . .

“King of the modern-day aviation thriller.” —Publishers Weekly

“In the air, or in a courtroom, nobody writes a better thriller than John J. Nance.” —Steve Jackson, New York Times–bestselling author

Here are the reasons why I think “16 Souls” should be made into a movie:

1) The plot is excellent. It’s a legal thriller that would make the aforementioned John Grisham proud.

2) The main characters are well developed. The secondary characters are more than just names, they play minor but important roles.

3) Like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” this book lends itself as a movie.

4) John J. Nance uses his knowledge of aviation to set up the courtroom drama.

5) There are some intriguing little mysteries in the book that don’t come up until the end.

The next question is how to cast the movie. In the book, Marty Mitchell is a veteran pilot (and former military), Tom Hanks would be the best person for the job. His attorney Judith Winston, Scarlett Johanson. The DA Richardson, Nicholas Cage. Judge Gonzales, Javier Barden. The pilot of the commuter aircraft Michelle, Meg Ryan.

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks had good chemistry in two other films granted they were romantic comedies, but this gives them a chance to work together on a drama.

The opening scenes of the movie would be the the incident that put Captain Mitchell in this situation to begin with. How he overran the commuter plane with the fuselage stuck in his wing, and how he landed with Michelle’s help both planes safely with one casualty.

The beginning of the book provides the next scene, Marty Mitchell on the 14,000 foot plateau of a mountain contemplating and attempting suicide.

The courtroom battle between DA Richardson and Ms. Winston would be very interesting to watch.

The secondary story in the book (and movie) features reporter Scott Bogosian researching the the collision of Mountaineer flight 2612 and Regal flight 12. He interviews as many passengers as he can for his story.

Remember the comment about secondary characters playing minor but important roles? I won’t tell you how, but Captain Mitchell’s fate is determined by a couple of these characters.

This would be a fantastic movie to make and to watch.