Hollywood is hoping for Mockingbird film sequel

When author Harper Lee and her publisher announced on Tuesday that this summer they will release her second book, a kind of sequel to her enduring best-seller To Kill a Mockingbird, the shock waves were felt in Hollywood as much as they were in the book world.

The movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird is a rare adaptation that is as well-loved as the novel it is based on. The sequel novel, Go Set a Watchman, provides a rare chance to follow up one of the most iconic US films of all time, half a century later.

If 88-year-old Lee agrees to sell the movie rights of her new book, it can be expected to be one of the most eagerly sought novels for optioning to the big screen.