Producer Jessica Rhoades has optioned the rights to David Hill's book "The Vapors," a Hot Springs-based true crime novel published in July, in hopes of adapting it into a TV show.
As Hill's first published book, he said every author has hopes their book will be optioned by a TV producer, but in the midst of the excitement he wants to get one thing straight: An option does not mean a TV show is certain.
"The producers and the production company that optioned it, they have an option to buy the rights, but they don't have the rights. They're going to write a script and put together kind of a pitch and then they go to all these different networks that they have deals with, and then they try to convince a network to pick it up, and when they do they will purchase the rights," Hill said.
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"The TV business and the movie business," he said, "it's pretty immense and they have lots of money to sink into projects that will never see the light of day. I think it's shocking when you realize just how many movies and TV shows were sold and written and sometimes filmed, but then hit a shelf somewhere and never get released. So, I'm really excited that we made this kind of first step in that direction, but there's still a lot more steps to take."
There are a few things that contribute to Hill's optimism and pessimism for the possibility of a future TV show adaptation of "The Vapors."
He said this is the "golden age" of television with so many television platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, which increases the number of TV shows being made, and therefore the possibility of his book being one of those.
The fact Rhoades is the producer who optioned his book also makes him feel hopeful, he said, describing her as "successful" with "a lot of deals with different platforms."
Rhoades is known for "Utopia" (2020), "The Affair" (2018-2019), "Dirty John" (2018), "Sharp Objects" (2018), "Young & Hungry" (2014-2018) and "Beauty & the Briefcase" (2010) among other shows and movies.
On the downside, Hill said the COVID-19 pandemic has halted a lot of TV productions, which could decrease the chances of his book making it to the big screen.
Also, he said he doesn't expect The Vapors will be cheap to produce with the ensemble of people it will take to play all the characters from the story, as well as the costumes and props required for a 1930-1960 period piece.
He said he fears the costliness of production may be a deterrent to some networks.
"I am excited about somebody optioning the book, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that 'The Vapors' is one of the shows that will make it across the finish line this year," Hill said, noting he will know if it makes it to production within the year.
"I feel good about it, but I don't want to feel so good about it that I jinx it," he said.
If "The Vapors" does make it to production, Hill said there's a "good chance" the adaptation may not have the same characters.
"The TV show will be a fictional account based on historical events, whereas my book was a true account; it was a work of nonfiction," he said. "The TV show, I think, will take many more liberties, and that's true about any television series you see."
Hazel Hill, one of the main characters in "The Vapors," and also Hill's real-life grandmother, may not even make it to the TV series, he said.
"Who knows if Hazel will make it to TV or not?" Hill said. "I hope that she will, but I don't have much of a say in that. I hope that there will be some Hills in a television show, but I'm OK if there isn't. The one character that they can't change is Hot Springs, and that's the character that will be the sort of true line between the book and the TV show that I think I'm the most excited about -- that's to see the city of Hot Springs come to life on the TV screen would be magical, and I think it would be incredible to watch that all unfold."
Another hope Hill has if the show does make it to production, is that it will be filmed in Hot Springs.
"One of the things that I said to the producers when I first met with them is that they really ought to come to Hot Springs and check it out, because downtown Hot Springs has really been kind of preserved in amber since the events of the book," he said. "I mean, all the buildings in that book are still there, and some of them even look the way they did back then, so you've got kind of a ready movie set just sitting and waiting for you in downtown Hot Springs, and there's no reason why you shouldn't film in the exact same location of all the places where these events took place."
Hill said a TV show adaptation could open up an even bigger audience for the book, and get more people interested in Hot Springs.
"It would create more interest in Hot Springs, which I think would be great for the city to bring more people there," he said. "So my fingers are all crossed, and I hope that folks in Hot Springs will all cross theirs too. Maybe we can all send good thoughts towards Hollywood ... maybe we can will it into existence."
