Monroe Novel THE EMPTY GLASS Heading to the Big Screen

Hollywood snaps up the rights to 2012 thriller.

Irwin Winkler and David Winkler’s banner Winkler Films (‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ ‘De-Lovely,’ ‘Home of the Brave,’ ‘Goodfellas’) has optioned the feature film rights to J.I. Baker’s paranoid thriller novel ‘The Empty Glass.’

Published earlier this year, ‘The Empty Glass’ weaves together historical events with infamous conspiracy theories regarding Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death. The novel is narrated by Ben Fitzgerald, an alcoholic underling in the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office, who is among the first on the scene at Marilyn Monroe’s bungalow when the actress is reported dead. After finding the starlet’s secret diary he suspects foul play and sets about investigating the truth behind her death. His quest for the truth puts his life at risk.

“The Empty Glass reads like a Billy Wilder screenplay,” said David Winkler. “It’s got suspense, action and dramatic plot turns that will appeal to great directors, and rich dialogue that will attract great actors. We knew immediately that nobody could adapt the book better than the author himself, Jim Baker.”

“When I was writing ‘The Empty Glass,’ I very much had ‘Goodfellas’ in mind structurally, so the fact that Winkler Films has optioned the book makes it feel like it’s come full-circle. I’m thrilled to be writing the adaptation my first time out of the gate for such esteemed producers,” said Baker.