Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Sequel Sparks Questions Over Film Rights — hollywoodreporter.com

A version of this story first appeared in the Feb. 20 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. It's been more than 50 years since Atticus Finch made his closing argument in Oscar best picture nominee To Kill a Mockingbird. But the righteous attorney (played by Gregory Peck) and his precocious daughter Scout suddenly are poised for a theatrical return. Publisher HarperCollins revealed Feb. 3 that author Harper Lee, 88, finally has consented to the release of Go Set a Watchman -- a book she wrote before penning the classic Mockingbird -- which follows Atticus and Scout two decades after Mockingbird's events. The bombshell news has spawned speculation about where the film rights to Watchman, which will publish July 14, might land, as well as controversy about Lee's ability to sign off (she suffered a stroke in 2007, and her sight and hearing are said to be failing).

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