First, Krakauer himself has said that the made-for-TV version of Into Thin Air was awful, and I imagine he has learned his lesson about turning his books into movies.

Second, the family of Chris McCandless have turned down several proposals, most on the basis that Hollywood was going to stray from Krakauer’s story too much.

Third, love or hate Sean Penn, you have to acknowledge he’s not the type to phone anything in, as they say. He’s also a big fan of the book and has lobbied hard for the rights to make the film. I have faith that he will do it justice.