Gary Goddard, Founder of The Goddard Group, and a veteran Hollywood writer/producer/director, has announced the launch of the Goddard Film Group. The new entity, a unit of the Goddard Group, is actively acquiring literary properties for development as feature film releases.
“We’ve established this new entity to create, develop, and produce films targeted to the broad family market and to the young adult market. With the work we do in China, Korea, the Middle East, and around the world, I think we have a great sense of what will play well internationally. During the course of this past year, we have been busy acquiring a diverse array of books and properties, all of which are currently in active development,” Mr. Goddard said.
The Goddard Film Group has acquired the rights to three initial books: “Escape From Furnace,” written by Alexander Gordon Smith, Jerry Pournelle’s “Janissaries,” and “Jexium Island,” written by Madeline Grattan. The acquisition of these properties was handled by Alan Grodin with Weintraub Tobin, the law firm representing the Goddard Film Group.
Gary Goddard serves as the Goddard Film Group’s CEO, with Roger Lay, Jr., serving as Executive in Charge of Production. Eric Carnagey is the new group’s Executive in Charge of Business Development.
About “ESCAPE FROM FURNACE”
“Escape From Furnace” is the first of five books in the hit breakout sci-fi/adventure series of YA novels by Alex Gordon Smith. The premise of the book is as follows: Buried a mile beneath the Earth’s surface in an authoritarian near-future, Furnace Penitentiary is the world’s most secure prison for young offenders. Convicted of a brutal murder he didn’t commit, teenager Alex Sawyer knows he has only two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars. Except, in Furnace, death is the least of Sawyer’s worries.
Soon Sawyer discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where powerful creatures in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where – if they survive the operation – they are transformed into hideous deformed soldiers. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful Warden, a man as cruel and as dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch beyond the walls of the prison.
Reviews of “Escape from Furnace” include:
“Fresh and ferocious, Lockdown will hook boys with its gritty, unrelenting surprises.” — James Patterson, author of Kiss the Girls and Along Came A Spider
“Furnace is hotter than hell and twice as much fun! Sign me up for a life sentence of Alexander Gordon Smith!” — Darren Shan, author of the Demonata series
“This nightmarish start to a new series is unrelentingly bleak, uniquely horrifying, and strangely compelling.” — Realms of Fantasy Magazine
“A great next choice for fans of The Maze Runner, The Grassland Trilogy . . . or Lord of the Flies. As for me, I’m looking forward to future books. Recommended for dystopia, thriller, and horror fans, or anyone looking for a fast-paced, spine-chilling ride.” — Jennifer Robinson’s Bookpage
“Readers will be turning pages without pause, and the cliff-hanger ending will have them anticipating the next installment. Most appealing is Smith’s flowing writing style, filled with kid-speak, colorful adjectives, and amusing analogies. Fans of James Patterson’s ‘Maximum Ride’ and Darren Shan’s ‘The Demonata’ series will find this satisfying fare.” — School Library Journal
“One of those leave-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrill rides that will grab the reader right from the start. Teens will appreciate Smith’s vivid imagery. His writing is extremely fluid, and he makes the reader feel for the characters, especially the young protagonist, Alex. Readers will be cheering him on from start to finish.” — Voice of Youth Advocates
“Not f
