Tommy Lee Jones adapting Ernest Hemingway for the screen

Before Ernest Hemingway passed away, he was working on Islands in the Stream, focusing on the journeys of painter Thomas Hudson. While not a particularly well-known work, Hemingway broke off a portion and turned it into his acclaimed The Old Man and the Sea. The rest of the work was published posthumously, becoming an important part of the writer's legacy despite controversy over its editing.

Now, Tommy Lee Jones is looking to adapt the classic for screen, not just acting in the feature, but also producing, directing and co-writing the film. Jones previously worked on The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, a surprisingly ambitious film that sadly failed to do well in the box office. Nevertheless, Jones has secured $30 million of financing for Islands, which already has Morgan Freeman and John Goodman in talks to star in the film.

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