Wallace's family and publisher release a statement that they don't endorse a biopic of the late author starring Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg.
- Apr 23, 2014
AceShowbiz - "The End of the Tour" is facing a big stumbling block. Lawyers for David Foster Wallace's family have revealed that the late author would not have allowed interview transcripts to be used as the basis for the upcoming biopic.
The plan was to develop the film based on Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky's 2010 book "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip With David Foster Wallace". Lipsky accompanied Wallace who promoted his 1996 book "Infinite Jest" during the course of five days. Donald Margulies adapted the story for the film which was directed by James Ponsoldt.
The shooting was wrapped up recently in Michigan with Jason Segel playing Wallace and Jesse Eisenberg as Lipsky. Sony is due to distribute the movie although no release date is set yet.
However, Wallace's family and longtime publisher Little, Brown, and Company said in a statement on Monday, April 21 that they "have no connection with, and neither endorse nor support" the film. They added, "This motion picture is loosely based on transcripts from an interview David consented to eighteen years ago for a magazine article about the publication of his novel, 'Infinite Jest'."
"That article was never published and David would never have agreed that those saved transcripts could later be repurposed as the basis of a movie. There is no circumstance under with the David Foster Wallace Literary Trust would have consented to the adaptation of this interview into a motion picture. We do not consider it an homage."
They had objected against the movie before but could not prevent it to go into production. They would rather Wallace, who committed suicide in 2008, be "remembered for his extraordinary writing."
