Chris Columbus’ 1492 Productions decided to fast-track a screen adaptation of “The Help,” Kathryn Stockett’s bestselling novel about African-American domestic servants and their wealthy white employers in Mississippi before the civil rights era.  This is Stockett’s first book and first movie deal.

Tate Taylor wrote the script and is set to direct with 1492 partners Columbus, Michael Barnathan and Michael Radcliffe producing.

“The Help” has been sitting on the New York Times bestseller list for 35 weeks since its publication in February.

As an interesting turn of events, Taylor became involved in the book well before it became a literary sensation for Stockett. Taylor grew up with Stockett in Mississippi — his mother inspired one of the Mississippi matriarchs in the novel — and was so helpful to the author that she gave him an early read and an option was made well before the book came out.

As a very bold and smart move Taylor, who is an actor-turned-director — previously directed the 2008 feature Pretty Ugly People, showed the book to Columbus, whom he met in San Francisco because Taylor’s niece and nephew attended the same school as Columbus’ kids.

If all goes as planned without a hitch, production is set to start spring of 2010, but no actors are attached yet.