Birmingham Author’s Book Hits the Big Screen
A new thriller opens in theaters today. It’s about an American submarine captain on the hunt for a U.S. submarine in distress. Soon, a group of Navy Seals has to rescue the kidnapped Russian president to avert World War III. The film “Hunter Killer” features some big names including Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman. It was adapted from Birmingham author Don Keith’s novel, “Firing Line,” which he co-wrote with George Wallace (not the former Alabama governor). Keith spoke with WBHM’s Andrew Yeager.
Interview Highlights
Concerns about having his book adapted by others:
“Hemingway said it best. He said if you sell your book to the movies, cash the check and go away. I certainly understand that. The good news for us is even though the book, it’s 692 pages, they condensed it down to a two hour and one minute movie. Obviously they can’t do the whole thing. So they did leave out three other subplots, but they did stick primarily to the plot …
“We were concerned. [Keith’s co-author] George [Wallace] obviously being a former submariner, he did not want to get ridiculed by his submariner buddies. But it was also important to me and to him, too, that this be an accurate portrayal of what life is like on a submarine, what it’s like for the guys who volunteer to do some rather interesting duty.”
On writing now that his book has become a movie:
“I still try to go by my own prescription when I tell writers who ask that you really shouldn’t write a book, a novel or a nonfiction book, with the idea that this would make a movie and I’m going to do this because that’s what will help sell it to the film industry. I still think you have to just tell a story. To me the perfect story is an average person who is placed in an unusual situation and who does remarkable things. If you do that, it’s going to work in a book. It’s going to work in a short story, a TV show or a movie.”
What it means to have his book become a movie:
“I’m actually numb because even to see the trailer or some of the featurettes that have been running on HBO and some other places, to see these big-time actors — Gary Oldman, he’s playing a character that I created and gave the name to and gave a personality to, not exactly like it was in the book. But still, to see last year’s best actor mouthing words that I wrote and have the nameplate on his desk that I created, it’s an odd and good feeling.”
House Oversight panel votes to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress
Republicans on the committee have been seeking to question the Clintons as part of a probe into the government's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. The vote sends the matter to the full House.
Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s former personal attorney, exits Virginia prosecutor’s office
The move comes after a federal judge wrote in court document that the "charade of Ms. Halligan masquerading as the United States Attorney … must come to an end."
Global buzzwords that will be buzzing in your ear in 2026
Will it be a year of "fractured resilience"? Or "pragmatic empathy"? Will "MOUs" be the next global health strategy? Are we in a new age of "decolonization" — or of "localization"?
Supreme Court appears wary of allowing Trump to fire Fed’s Cook in closely watched case
The administration wants the authority to fire Lisa Cook, a Fed governor. Experts say that would undermine the independence of the central bank.
Sundance prepares for its final Park City festival before moving to Boulder, Colo.
As the festival prepares to move to Colorado, filmmakers and cinephiles gather to celebrate its founder and the future of indie film.
Greetings from Kalk Bay, a South African fishing village where wild seals await scraps
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
