SANDY, Utah — A teacher in the Canyons School District will soon see his work come to life on the silver screen.
Marc J Gregson is the published author of “Sky’s End,” the first novel in a trilogy that hit the New York Times Bestseller list soon after its release earlier this year.
Now, the book is being developed into a feature film.
I asked Gregson if he ever imagined we’d be talking about his book becoming a major motion picture.
“No,” he answered emphatically.
Gregson teaches at Eastmont Middle School. I asked some of his students what they think about learning from a published author.
“It’s really cool because he is famous so it's really cool to be in his class,” said seventh grader Ziggy Zwahlen. “He is a great teacher, too.”
“This year, I got a New York Times instant bestseller [as a teacher], I kinda think that's amazing,” Jackson Bagley told me.
This was my second trip to Gregson’s classroom. Last year, I interviewed him after the cover art for “Sky’s End” was revealed.
Gregson shares every bit of news about his journey as an author with his students and posts the moments on his social media channels.
“I’m trying to show my students that they should chase their dreams and that anything is possible,” he said. “I hope that it inspires them in whatever it is, whether they want to be an author or if it's something else they want to pursue.”
That message resonates with his students.
“It’s crazy to have a published author as my teacher,” Eight grade student Melody Rich said. “I want to be an author and he's like my greatest inspiration.”
"I think it's really cool and I feel special because...I know him,” added seventh grader Cecily Johnson.
As he continues his journey as an author and educator, Gregson is proud of what his students are accomplishing.
“These kids are awesome, awesome readers,” he said. “I am super proud of them for their growth this year.”
“Sky’s End” is currently being translated into several languages including Spanish, French and German.
With the feature film under development, I asked some of the students which Hollywood star they believe would be a good fit to play the main character.
Ziggy answered, “Tom Holland.”
