Warner Independent Pictures has optioned Charles Bock's debut novel "Beautiful Children" for Bona Fide Pictures partners Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa. The studio is in talks with Eric Roth to adapt.

"Beautiful Children" was written over a 13-year period by Bock, who infuses his book with the desperation of Vegas hustlers, something he observed while working at pawn shops operated by his parents. The characters are connected by the disappearance of a surly 12-year-old.

"These are the lives of the people who you don't see in the ads, having a good time in Vegas, and the book gets inside their hopes, aspirations and dashed dreams," Berger said.

No word on when production commences.