Many will be more than aware of Dave Eggers’ literary genius thanks to his show-stopping debut, the autobiographical and very aptly named ‘A Heart-Breaking Work of Staggering Genius’. Genuinely heart-rending as much as it is brutally honest and very, very funny, the book charts Eggers’ efforts to take charge of his younger brother, Topher, following the cancer-related deaths of both of their parents and was a worldwide bestseller. A literary career flourished from there but many people are less familiar with Eggers’ work on the silver screen where he has forged a career both as a screenwriter to watch as well as having some of his literary works adapted for the screen, such as A Hologram For The King, coming to digital platforms on September 12^th and DVD and Blu-ray on September 19^th. Here we take a look at some of cinema’s interpretations of this unique voice:

A Hologram For The King (2016)

Tom Hanks brings his everyman charm to a tale, based on Eggers’ novel of the same name, which follows a failed sales rep looking to recoup his losses by flogging a state of the art holographic communications system to a filthy rich Saudi Arabian monarch. A chance encounter with a beautiful Saudi Arabian woman, however, causes him to examine his life and his plans for the future, sending him on a journey of self-discovery that will have a profound effect. Treading a gently dramatic path, Tom Tykwer’s meditation on middle age and new beginnings marks the second time he and Hanks have teamed up following the incomprehensibly brilliant Cloud Atlas, with A Hologram For The King proving itself an altogether more accessible and wonderfully engaging affair for Hanks fans everywhere.

Promised Land (2012)

Dave Eggers provided the story for this 2012 indie drama about a gas company salesman (what is it with Eggers and salesmen?) who undergoes an epiphany after arriving in a small town his company want to plunder for its natural resources. Directed by the legendary Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho), Promised Land features an all-star cast, with Matt Damon (Jason Bourne) taking the lead opposite the ever-impressive Frances McDormand (Fargo) and John Krasinski (The Office), with Golden Age hero Hal Holbrook (Capricorn One) bringing up the rear.

Away We Go (2009) screenplay

Criminally unseen on its release, Away We Go has at least had the good grace to build up something of a cult following since. This was Eggers’ first original screenplay but that didn’t prevent Sam Mendes stepping in to direct a funny, touching and honest portrayal of a couple looking for the perfect place to raise their first child. John Krasinski (him again) and Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids) star as the central couple whilst the supporting cast reads like a wish list of indie giants, with the likes of Allison Janney (The Way Way Back), Jeff Daniels (The Martian), Maggie Gyllenhaal  (The Secretary), and Catherine O’Hara reminding everyone why they are always brilliant. Essential viewing and a clear marker that Eggers isn’t just a talent on paper.

Where The Wild Things Are (2009) screenplay

Maurice Sendak’s childhood classic about Max, a boy who runs into his own monster-filled imagination to escape a row with his parents, has become a stalwart for children and their parents everywhere but not something that immediately lends itself to a feature film. Step forward Dave Eggers, who wrote a simply beautiful screenplay that at once captures the story and elevates it for cinema audiences, with the ever-eclectic Spike Jonze behind the camera. Whimsical, wistful and utterly charming, the distinctly low-fi take on Sendak’s text delivers a dream-like quality, whilst the much-missed James Gandolfini (The Sopranos) provides his vocal talents as the leader of the Wild Things who takes Max under his wing. Paul Dano (Swiss Army Man) and Catherine O’Hara (A Mighty Wind) provide the voices of the other creatures.

Forthcoming:

A busy man indeed, Eggers won’t be away from cinema screens for too long, with two more projects in development from some of his fascinating and beloved novels, including:

Zeitoun

Currently in development stages, this drama follows a Syrian-born painting contractor who, while assisting in the post-Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts, finds himself suspected of being a terrorist. The film was once rumoured to be helmed by Silence of the Lambs director Johnathan Demme as an animated feature, but now it appears the project is searching for a director, and it will be interesting to see whose talented hands this intriguing and moving story falls into.

The Circle

Tom Hanks once again star in this adaptation of Eggers’ novel alongside Emma Watson, with the story following a woman called Mae who lands a job at a powerful tech company called The Circle where she becomes involved with a mysterious man. After becoming excited by her early experience at the company, things begin to rapidly fall apart in this novel that clearly takes inspiration from the increasingly social media driven world that surrounds us and even aspects of a certain Mr. Snowden’s time at the NSA. Put this one on your ‘To See’ list for 2017…

A Hologram For The King arrives on digital platforms on September 12^th and DVD and Blu-ray on September 19^th

The dry, barren and desolate landscape of the desert often stunts any growth or hope of life, and yet it is these very features that have made the desert such a brilliant setting for a growing number of blockbuster films over the years. From the plains of Jakku seen in the recent Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens to the sands of Arabia in Lawrence of…, deserts have proven a vast, ominous background on which to paint the insignificance of humans on the big screen.

In this year’s A Hologram For The King we see Tom Hanks play a desperate man who has lost his way in life, and finds himself on a business trip in the bizarre and foreign lands of Saudi Arabia. To celebrate its release on digital platforms (12^th September) and DVD (19^th September), we have compiled a list of other great movies that are set in the sand…

A Hologram For The King (2016)

Academy Award winner Tom Hanks is a desperate man searching for a way to get his life together in a strange and foreign land in A Hologram For The King. Washed-up, desperate businessman Alan Clay (Hanks) is sent on a business trip to a building in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert where he hopes to sell a state-of-the-art 3D holographic meeting system to the nation’s King. Adapted from Dave Eggers’ novel of the same name, A Hologram For The King marks the second collaboration between Hanks and visionary director Tom Tykwer following their pairing on Cloud Atlas. With another tour-de-force performance from cinema’s greatest everyman at its heart, the film serves as inherent evidence that sometimes you have to change your scenery to change your life.

127 Hours (2011)

Based on an utterly incredible true story, 127 Hours follows canyoneer Aron Ralston’s (James Franco) trek across Utah’s Canyonlands National Park and his subsequent 127 hours of entrapment by a boulder in an isolated slot canyon. Danny Boyle, who wrote and directed, decided to use independent found footage from the perspective of Aron’s video camera to build a daunting sense of isolation and doom whilst his arm is trapped in the boulder. The desperate measures that Aron resorts to in order to survive are truly horrifying and earned the film six Academy Award nominations.

Three Kings (1999)

Three Kings is David O. Russell’s satirical black comedy war film starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube and Spike Jonze as four U.S. soldiers on a gold heist that takes place during the 1991 Iraqi uprising against Saddam Hussein, post-Persian Gulf War. However as they are about to make their getaway they come across a group of Iraqi prisoners who desperately need their help. The prisoners are freed, but Iraqi Republican Guard reinforcements soon arrive to thwart the escape of the Americans and their new rebel friends.

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

Whilst The Force Awakens could also feature in this list of top movie deserts we went for the original’s vast sands of Tatooine. These scenes were filmed in the Sahara Desert in Tunisia, and feature droids R2-D2 and C-3PO being captured by Jawa traders and sold to a young man named Luke Skywalker. The rest is history…

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Perhaps the most infamous film set in the desert and one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time, Lawrence of Arabia is the historical epic starring the legendary Peter O’Toole in the titular role. Based on the real life of British author, archaeologist, military officer and diplomat T. E. Lawrence, the film sees Lawrence successfully unite and lead the diverse and often warring Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks. The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Cinematography, for its fascinating depiction of the mythic Lawrence amongst the beautiful Arabian deserts.

Sahara (1943)

This 1943 Humphrey Bogart war drama follows Sergeant Joe Gunn (Bogart) and his American tank crew, who pick up a motley crew consisting of five British soldiers, a Frenchman and a Sudanese man with an Italian prisoner whilst crossing the Libyan Desert to rejoin their command after the fall of Tobruk in WWII. Their biggest threat is the lack of water but having finally found a well, they have to deal with advancing Nazis who are also in dire need of water. Rather than flee however, they decide to stand their ground and face the battalion strength enemy.

A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING IS AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS FROM 12^TH SEPTEMBER, AND ON DVD FROM 19^TH SEPTEMBER

It’s a well-trodden path in the film industry: A talented child goes to stage school; earns a part in a small movie; then works their way up. By the time they’re in their teens their CV is longer than most will achieve in a lifetime – and they’re only just getting started. See Jennifer Lawrence, Dakota Fanning, Ansel Elgort, Liam Hemsworth and Daniel Radcliffe for reference.

However some take a little longer to blossom, such as 32 year-old Alexander Black, who steals the show as Tom Hanks’ affable, quick-witted sidekick/taxi driver Yousef, in A Hologram For The King. Black, who is a stand-up comedian by trade, beat thousands to earn his first co-leading man credit – and as the film attests, he has truly found his niche on the big screen.

To celebrate the release of A Hologram For The King on digital platforms from 12^th September and on DVD from 19^th September, we have compiled a list of very well-known names who, like Black, have taken a little longer to find the road to success.

Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, 2011)

One of the hottest comedy actors of the moment, Melissa McCarthy is surprisingly new to the big screen. Having cut her teeth in TV institution Gilmore Girls from 2000 – 2007, McCarthy went on to star in Mike & Molly (2010 – 2016), which earned her a Primetime Emmy for Lead Actress. However it was 2011’s smash hit comedy Bridesmaids that catapulted her into the mainstream. As wise-cracking tomboy Megan, McCarthy was the antithesis to characters like Rose Byrne’s prim and proper Helen; introducing audiences to her unique brand of self-deprecating, dry comedy along the way.

Kristen Wiig (Knocked Up, 2007)

Another from the illustrious cast of Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig’s silver screen career started out in Judd Apatow’s 2007 comedy Knocked Up, playing her first significant film role at the age of 34. In the role of Jill, Wiig had enough to work with to show off her impeccable comic timing, which undoubtedly proved a springboard for her career. One of the main players during a hugely successful era on Saturday Night Live (whose alumni includes Tina Fey and Amy Poehler) followed, before major roles in Bridesmaids, Girl Most Likely and The Martian, amongst numerous other credits cemented her position in the elusive club of Hollywood’s bankable film actresses.

Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave, 2012)

Perhaps the most sensational example of a scene stealing debut is Lupita Nyong’o, who won an Academy Award for her debut film role of Patsey in Steve McQueen’s 2012 film 12 Years A Slave. Born in Mexico to Kenyan parents, Nyong’o is the first Mexican and Kenyan actress to ever win an Oscar – an exceptional feat given her relative inexperience. Since her incredible debut, Nyong’o’s career has sky rocketed, with roles in one of the biggest franchises of all time, Star Wars (The Force Awakens in 2015 and Star Wars: VIII in 2017) and 2016’s beautiful re-imagining of The Jungle Book to her name.

Steve Carrell (Bruce Almighty, 2003)

Another late starter, like Alexander Black, Steve Carrell was a comedian before turning his hand to TV and then film work. A long-term regular on Saturday Night Live – where Carrell met his comedy partner in crime and 30 Rock co-star, Tina Fey – Carrell’s breakthrough role came in 2003’s Bruce Almighty, playing the role of Evan Baxter alongside Jim Carrey. This was a role Carrell later reprised – and perhaps might rather forget owing to the film’s scant box office performance – in 2007’s Evan Almighty. 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy saw Carrell play weatherman Brick Tamland. With his big screen career gathering momentum Carrell went on to play further comedy roles in hits such as The 40 Year Old Virgin and Date Night, as well as showing his versatility in dramas such as Little Miss Sunshine and The Way Way Back, before he earned an Oscar nomination through his stunning, shape-shifting performance as John Du Pont in Foxcatcher.

Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, 2008)

Whilst far from being his first film role, Jeremy Renner’s performance in Kathryn Bigelow’s multiple award-winning, powerful 2008 drama The Hurt Locker signified a turning point in his career; making Hollywood sit up and take notice. His performance as Staff Sergeant William James earned him a leading actor Academy Award nomination, and was swiftly followed by a further Oscar nomination – this time for his supporting role in Ben Affleck’s 2010 film, The Town. Renner’s star rose so quickly that in 2010 The Hollywood Reporter named him as one of a crop of young male actors who were “pushing – or being pushed” into taking over Hollywood and becoming ‘the new A-list’. It seems they weren’t far wrong.

Alan Rickman (Die Hard, 1988)

The late Alan Rickman was a stalwart of both British and US cinema. However it took him longer than some to make the leap from small to big screen – and leap he did, with a storming performance as Hans Gruber in 1988’s Die Hard at the tender age of 42. Rickman’s screen credits from that moment forth are too numerous to mention, but he will of course be remembered for his performance as the mysterious Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series; amongst his incredibly diverse filmography which included Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Sense and Sensibility and Love, Actually.

A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING IS AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS FROM 12^TH SEPTEMBER, AND ON DVD FROM 19^TH SEPTEMBER