Hollywood loves to find hot books to turn into movies. But, to the best of my knowledge, none of the five books on this list — all based on true stories and all touching on the subject of faith — are currently in development at any studio.

A BOLD FRESH PIECE OF HUMANITY by Bill O’Reilly (Random House)
Published in 2008, the book in which the top-rated cable talk show host recalls how his Catholic education helped shape him into the person he is today, spent a solid year on the New York Times bestseller list.  Obviously, O’Reilly and the entire Fox News Channel would provide a forum to promote the hell (I mean heck) out the movie. And, yet, as far as I can gather, there is not movie planned — not even from Fox’s own movie studio.  Inexplicable.

BEYOND BLUE by Therese Borchard (Center Street)
Beliefnet’s own blogger has written a riveting, witty and inspirational account of her own battle with depression. She recounts how her own Catholicism both contributed to her illness and helped provide the light and support that would see her through.  It would make a great movie — with a leading role meaty enough to nail an Oscar for its star. Let the bidding war begin!

CROSSBEARER: A MEMOIR OF FAITH by Joe Eszterhas (St. Martin’s Press)

This compelling auto-biography tells the story of how Eszterhas, the author of erotic movies like Basic Instinct and Showgirls found
God and the strength to give up his addictions to alcohol and tobacco
— and to survive a horrendous battle with throat cancer.  Considering how
much he was paid for those previous works, you would think Hollywood studios would be lining up to produce this one.

UNLIKELY ANGEL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE ATLANTA HOSTAGE HERO by Ashley Smith (Zondervan/Harper Collins)
This one’s the Apollo 13 of our day in that the actual facts of the story require virtually no writer embellishment. You no doubt remember the story of the Atlanta woman who in 2005  was taken hostage by a fugitive
who shot his way out of an Atlanta courtroom.  After several tense
hours she talked him into allowing her to go free resulting in the
nonviolent end of a real-life drama that captivated the nation. Of
course, her own road to devout Christianity and the book The Purpose
Driven Life by Rick Warren, the famed evangelical pastor of
California’s Saddleback Church, were key to the story’s happy ending. Could those facts have anything to do with Hollywood’s skittishness?

IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES by Gracia Burnham (Tyndale House Publishers)
Another
true story written by the person who lived it — and, again, the screenplay would virtually write itself.  In 2001 Gracia Burnham was a Protestant missionary who, along with her missionary
husband, spent a year in captivity by Islamist terrorists
operating in the southern Philippines.  Her husband was killed in the
daring rescue that freed her.  An amazing — and dramatic — story of faith. Yet no discernible interest from Hollywood
that I’m aware of.