Fresh off the explosive box-office success of "Jurassic World Rebirth", which debuted with over $322 million globally in its opening weekend, Sony Pictures is reigniting its development slate with "Eruption" — the bestselling novel co-authored by Michael Crichton and James Patterson. The studio has hired acclaimed screenwriters Kaz and Ryan Firpo to adapt the high-stakes thriller for the big screen.
The Firpo cousins, known for launching Marvel’s Phase 4 with "Eternals", bring their signature blend of spectacle and emotional depth to the adaptation. This will hopefully create a blockbuster on the scale of "Jurassic Park" and "Twister", both of which stem from Crichton’s wildly popular catalog.
At the same time, the film is now back on the market for a director, with Oscar-winning documentarians Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Free Solo, The Rescue) quietly stepping away from the project.
Originally acquired in a fierce bidding war last summer, "Eruption" marks a unique collaboration between two of the most successful authors of all time. Crichton began writing the novel before his death in 2008, and Patterson, the world’s bestselling thriller author, completed it. The story centers on an impending cataclysm as a long-dormant volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island prepares to blow — but the natural disaster is only part of the danger. A long-buried U.S. military secret, hidden deep within the island, poses a threat even more deadly than lava and ash.
The film is being produced by Sherri Crichton (Michael Crichton’s widow) alongside James Patterson, Shane Salerno, and The Story Factory. Sony executives Maia Eyre and Allie Broome are overseeing the project on behalf of the studio.
Kaz and Ryan Firpo first gained notoriety when their World War II revenge thriller "Ruin" landed atop the 2017 Black List, the annual ranking of the industry’s best unproduced screenplays. They went on to write "Eternals" for Marvel Studios, directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, which earned more than $400 million worldwide. They are also behind "Butch & Sundance", an upcoming Western crime series for Amazon starring Glen Powell and Regé-Jean Page, with the Russo Brothers attached as executive producers.
In June 2024, "Eruption" debuted at No. 1 on every major bestseller list — from The New York Times to Amazon and Apple Books — taking its place as one of last year’s top-selling titles. That momentum carried into July with the theatrical success of "Twisters", a reimagining of the 1996 storm-chasing hit co-written and produced by Crichton. The new film has already blown past $370 million at the global box office.
From "Jurassic Park", "Westworld", and "Twister" to ER, The Andromeda Strain, and Disclosure, Crichton’s scientifically grounded thrillers have generated more than $10 billion worldwide across film and television.
Tags: eruption, michael crichton, james patterson, sony, jurassic park