Double Day will be publishing the book, written by Roman journalist Matt Baglio, sometime in 2009 and today The Hollywood Reporter have announced that New Line already has the rights in hand to turn The Rite into a film. Michael Petroni (The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, Possession) will write the screenplay, which obviously won’t actually happen until this pesky strike is finally settled.
The tale is non-fiction and will supposedly feature scenes of exorcisms based on the priest’s experiences kicking the devil out of human hosts. Gotta say that’s definitely a book I’d pick up and a movie I’d check out, so here’s hoping it gets past the announcement stage!