With The Hunger Games set to pick up where the Twilight franchise leaves off next year, studios are constantly mining books for the next big moneymaker. Warner Bros. had put its stock in The Scorpio Races, a young adult fantasy novel by author Maggie Stiefvater. The recently-released book follows a young woman who is the first female to enter her island’s annual horse race. In this case, the horses are flesh eating creatures from Celtic lore. Romantic.Stiefvater also authored the best-selling, young adult Shiver trilogy about werewolves and first loves. The Scorpio Races will be produced through KatzSmith Productions, by David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith. Hit the jump for more on The Scorpio Races. Source of the acquisition comes to Heat Vision, but it’s not the only franchise-in-the-making out there. A release date was recently reported for the film adaptation of Ender’s Game, which could easily spawn a franchise if done properly. (Although, there are no flesh-eating horses…) Then, of course, there’s The Mortal Instruments, whose star Jamie Campbell (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1) might test better with young female audiences. We’ll have to see how it all shakes down and if The Scorpio Races is left standing. Here's the synopsis for The Scorpio Races:

Some race to win. Others race to survive.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.

Some riders live.

Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen. [Amazon]