Generation X author Douglas Coupland is to adapt his own novel The Gum Thief as a feature film after striking a deal with J.B Sugar’s No Equal Entertainment.

The Canadian firm has optioned the rights to the 2007 book and Sugar will direct the movie. The Gum Thief tells the story of Roger and Bethany, two Staples employees from North Vancouver with very different backgrounds; Roger, a middle-aged alcoholic dealing with an ugly divorce and the loss of his child and Bethany, a young goth working in a McJob, as defined in Coupland’s 1991 book Generation X. When Bethany discovers Roger is basing a character in his novel on her, the story within the story reveals a complex meta-narrative.

It is the latest collaboration between Coupland and Sugar, who produced Coupland’s Jpod into a 13-episode television series for Canadian broadcaster CBC. Coupland previously wrote the screenplay for Everything’s Gone Green, a 2006 comedy directed by Paul Fox.

“It’s been a pleasure to watch J.B.’s creativity blossom over the past decade. It’s exciting to be part of his next thrusts forward,” said Coupland.

“Working with Douglas adapting jPod was among the highlights of my career thus far, and I am beyond excited by the potential of bringing another of his extraordinary stories and ensemble of captivating characters to the screen,” added Sugar.