Sullivan's 'Rats' Book to Be Turned into a Documentary Film

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Dakota Group and Submarine Entertainment, distributors of the documentaries “Blackfish” and “The Cove,” announced an upcoming feature-length documentary based on Robert Sullivan’s bestseller, “Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants.” David Koh and Stanley Buchenthal of Dakota Group and Josh and Dan Braun of Submarine will produce. Sullivan will consult on the film and provide extra information that didn’t make it into the book.

Dakota Group and Submarine, the company behind the documentaries Blackfish, about the mistreatment of killer whales in SeaWorld, and The Cove, about dolphin hunting practices in Japan, have chosen their next species to shine some light onto. The team has bought the rights to the book Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan and are developing a feature-length documentary based on the often hidden world beneath the streets and sidewalks of New York City.

“We have been obsessed and terrified by rats living in New York City over the years, and when we read Robert Sullivan’s book, we couldn’t put it down,” the producers said in a statement. “We look forward to collaborating with (Sullivan) and bringing his highly entertaining and scholarly book to the big screen.”

Sullivan will serve as an advisor on the film, with production beginning early next year. In addition to the materials found in the book, Sullivan will also provide his extensive archive of research material that didn’t make the final cut. Yup, there are even more things about dirty street rats that you really didn’t need (or want) to know.

Source: Hollywood Reporter