‘The Marksman’: Kennebunk High grad turns his hit movie starring Liam Neeson into a novel

KENNEBUNK, Maine — Often, it’s the novel that inspires the movie. In the latest example of an emerging trend, however, former Kennebunk resident Chris Charles has teamed up with fellow writers to pen a novel based on a movie.

His movie, to be exact — the one for which he and his longtime collaborator Danny Kravitz wrote the script.

“The Marksman,” a novelization of the 2021 film by the same name, is expected to hit shelves on Aug. 29 and be available for purchase online. Charles wrote the novel with Kravitz, and authors Robin G. Mercier and Ted Goeglein.

“We’re thrilled to be sharing the novel with readers,” said Charles, who graduated from Kennebunk High School in 2002. “The novel is even more of an emotionally enriched experience.”

Level 4 Press, an independent publisher based in California, is releasing the book.

“The Marksman” hit theaters in early 2021, at a time when cinemas were either closed or open for limited, socially distant seating as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film spent three weeks at the top of the box office and made close to $16 million during its run, enough to rank 53rd of the top 200 releases of the year, according to Box Office Mojo.

“It was pretty cool to be number one,” Charles said.

In “The Marksman,” Jim Hanson is an ex-Marine sniper who is grieving the loss of his wife to cancer and is struggling to keep the ranch he owns near the Mexican border. He encounters a Mexican mother and son as they flee the ruthless members of a drug cartel and cross into United States territory. When the mother is shot and killed, Hanson protects the boy, driving him to Chicago to unite him with relatives. The cartel remains in pursuit.

Liam Neeson plays Hanson in the film and appears in the novel’s cover art.

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Novel unleashes ‘infinite possibilities’ for ‘The Marksman’

If you grew up in the 1970s and '80s, you may recall that novelizations often hit shelves at local stores either ahead of its cinematic counterpart’s release or at the time of it. In recent years, though, the screenplays of previously released films are being adapted into novels.

In this respect, Charles and his fellow writers are in significant company. Director Quentin Tarantino, for example, wrote a novelization of his 2019 blockbuster, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

Now that Charles has written a screenplay and a novel, which format did he find most formidable? Both involve a number of challenges, he said. Given his experience in screenwriting, however, it was the new-to-him novel format that proved quite a challenging task.

“Scripts communicate succinctly, visually,” he said. “If something doesn’t translate on the screen, it will be lost on the audience. With novels, you have infinite possibilities.”

In films, he said, something about a character can, say, be conveyed by a facial expression. In novels, you can take the space you need to provide the back story of a character. You can delve deeper into themes – such as, in the case of “The Marksman,” such issues as loss and immigration and the choices people make when enduring hardships.

Charles said that characters that appear for a mere minute or two in the film now have a richer presence in the novel. The same goes for Hanson, who is in nearly every scene of the movie. For example, in the film, Hanson says he served in Vietnam. In the novel, readers will be able to read about his experiences during that war.

“Now they’re really coming to life,” Charles said.

As well, Charles said, he and his fellow authors have planted new “seeds” in the novel, in the hopes that they can produce a crop of sequels that would turn Hanson into a recurring character in a series.

“If the story is strong enough, and if audiences continue to be interested, there’s an opportunity to continue this character’s journey,” Charles said.

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From Kennebunk to Hollywood

Charles grew up in Maine and graduated from Kennebunk High School in 2002. After earning his degree in film and television from Columbia College in Chicago, he began his career at Beverly Ridge Pictures, also located in the Windy City, and cast, directed, and produced commercials, short films and features.

In 2012, Charles and his longtime collaborator, John Bosher, founded Throughline Films, in which they are producers and consultants involved in both domestic and international projects. Recently, Charles and Bosher also founded Very Merry Entertainment, which is their venue for producing family-friendly entertainment.

While Charles lives with his wife and their toddler in Wisconsin, he keeps in touch with some of the teachers who always encouraged him while he was growing up as a student in Kennebunk. Joe Foster, who taught English at Kennebunk High for decades, is one such teacher.

During a recent interview, Foster described Charles as "rather charismatic for a young fellow" and said he had a love of writing as a student at Kennebunk High.

"When he wrote, it was evident he had a lot of heart," Foster said.

Foster said he had seen "The Marksman" and was struck by the subtle theme of an older person mentoring a younger one that coursed through the story.

Foster said Charles not only wrote during his younger years but acted too, under the direction of theater teacher Valerie Reid.

"He was pitch perfect in a production of 'Charlie's Aunt'," Foster said. "He could eke out a laugh from almost anything."

Foster said he has enjoyed keeping in touch with Charles and following his career.

"I'm proud as hell of the boy," he said.

Charles said he appreciates the friendships he has with Foster and others and the enthusiasm they show for his career.

“It’s thrilling for me to have my childhood mentors remain supportive of my artistic endeavors all these years later,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: ‘The Marksman’: Kennebunk High grad turns his hit movie into a novel