The Mosquito Coast (TV Series)
Bob Bookman played a pivotal role in controlling the rights to Paul Theroux’s acclaimed novel The Mosquito Coast, leading to its successful two-season television adaptation at Apple TV+.
The opportunity emerged after Bob left the agency world to co-found Veritas Entertainment Group with two partners, Alan Gasmer and Peter Jaysen. While Alan had built his career as a top motion picture literary agent at William Morris, his work had focused primarily on selling spec scripts — meaning he had little need to interact with literary agents outside the agency or build relationships with the New York or London literary scenes. When they transitioned into producing, Bob emphasized the importance of visiting literary agents in their offices rather than meeting at restaurants — knowing that the books on their shelves could reveal hidden or available properties ripe for adaptation.
On a trip to London, Bob arranged a meeting with longtime acquaintance Stephen Durbridge, chairman of the respected literary firm The Agency. During the conversation, Durbridge casually mentioned that most of the rights to The Mosquito Coast had reverted to Theroux. Bob and Alan immediately expressed their strong interest in the material, and Durbridge also provided them with another Theroux novel, Hotel Honolulu.
Justin Theroux, Melissa George, Logan Polish, & Gabriel Bateman star as the Fox family in The Mosquito Coast.
In a fortuitous parallel development, their partner Peter Jaysen was in conversation with an executive at Apple TV+, who mentioned that Apple was seeking a contemporary Swiss Family Robinson (a classic adventure story about a family shipwrecked on a deserted island). Peter responded that they had just secured rights to The Mosquito Coast — and Apple quickly acquired the project.
Through this process, Bob developed a strong personal and professional relationship with Paul Theroux, ultimately becoming his manager for literary material going forward. As Bob reflects, it was a perfect example of how, in the entertainment industry, relationships and serendipity often combine to shape unexpected and rewarding outcomes.
Justin Theroux, Melissa George.