Director Catherine Hardwicke ("thirteen," "The Nativity Story") is sporting a t-shirt with an R. Crumb illustration of "The Monkey Wrench Gang" - and she says she's determined to make the long-awaited movie version of Edward Abbey's environmental novel this year.

Hardwicke, a member of Sundance's U.S. Competition jury, said she's working on the screenplay, while the producers are trying to nail down a couple of big stars who will forego their usual salaries to be in the low-budget film.

Shooting should begin sometime this spring. Hardwicke said she loves the Moab area, the landscape that inspired Abbey's book, and would love to shoot there. But she said incentive deals in other states, particularly New Mexico, may be too good to pass up.

"Go call your governor," Hardwicke urged Abbey fans who want the movie made in Utah.