And they’re off!!

Competing projects is a longstanding Hwood tradition. There were the age / body-switch movies (Like Father Like Son (1987), 18 Again! (1988), and Big (1988). The dueling Christopher Columbus movies (1492: The Conquest of Paradise (1992) and Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992). Even dueling cop-dog movies (K-9 (1989) and Turner & Hootch (1989). And now with Ingrid Betancourt’s release from captivity, Hwood is at it again. As the Daily Variety reports:

Just one week after 15 hostages were freed by Colombian commandos, Hollywood has come knocking.

Several potential projects are already taking shape, and producers have begun tracking down almost everyone involved to make rights deals.

Numerous producers on the hunt, everyone involved in the captivity and release process looking to get paid for their life-rights — things are hot just now. However there’s always one sour puss in the mix:

One skeptical lit agent, who wasn’t involved, felt the story isn’t quite as ideal for a film adaptation as others assume.

“It lacks what Americans love in movies: There is no violence in the rescue,” he said.