Ron Howard is set to direct an adaptation of neuro-anatomist's Jill Bolte Taylor's memoir My Stroke of Insight.  The book chronicles Taylor's fight to recover from a massive stroke she suffered in 1996 at the age of 37.  A blood vessel on the left side of her brain exploded and within a matter of hours, she could no longer walk, read, write, or even recall past memories.  Taylor's training as a neuro-anatomist gave her a unique insight into her own recovery that "became at times a mystical experience" and "fused her with feelings of peace and well-being that she has tried to retain, even after struggling to reclaim her life and standing in the scientific community."  Deadline reports that Howard wants Jodie Foster to play Taylor.  Then they can all go home with a sack full of "Overcoming Adversity" Oscars.

Hit the jump for a recap of what else Howard has going on.

Howard's biggest project at the moment is an adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.  He is currently set to direct the first film of a planned trilogy and the first season of a TV series.  Howard recently wrapped the bland-looking Vince Vaughn comedy The Dilemma, which is set to open next January.  It's unknown how or when he plans to squeeze My Stroke of Insight into his busy schedule.

Here's the official book description for My Stroke of Insight [via Amazon]:

On December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven- year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. As she observed her mind deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life-all within four hours-Taylor alternated between the euphoria of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace, and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized she was having a stroke and enabled her to seek help before she was completely lost. It would take her eight years to fully recover.

For Taylor, her stroke was a blessing and a revelation. It taught her that by "stepping to the right" of our left brains, we can uncover feelings of well-being that are often sidelined by "brain chatter." Reaching wide audiences through her talk at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference and her appearance on Oprah's online Soul Series, Taylor provides a valuable recovery guide for those touched by brain injury and an inspiring testimony that inner peace is accessible to anyone.