Fast Food Nation,the seminal book by American journalist Eric Schlosser, is forming the basis of a forthcoming film by director Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused) that will star Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria, Full of Grace).

But they're trying to make it by stealth so they can get into some actual fast food restos.

An excerpt from the NYT story:

In September, The Austin American-Statesman reported that the drama ... is hiding under the sheep's clothing of a pseudonym. The false name - "Coyote" - was chosen, the newspaper said, to help the production gain access to franchise restaurants and other industry locations that might be off limits if the movie's true source material were known. (The blog Cinematical.com recently asked, "Is 'Coyote' itself a smokescreen to throw us off the scent of the real fake title?")

Ricky Strauss, president of Participant Productions, which owns North American rights and is an investor in the film, said the movie's title was "still in development."

"Sometimes filmmakers have to adjust the title so that a movie can be made without undue attention," he explained, while declining to say whether this was one such case.

Mr. Linklater was unavailable for comment, and the co-producer Ann Carli played down the film's connection to its muckraking source material. "We're just using the fast food industry as a backdrop for a multitude of characters," she said. "It's not a polemic. It's a character study, set in the world of the fast food industry. It's about how people grow up and make decisions to do they things they do. It's about what turns their lives." Whether Mr. Linklater's completed film, whatever its title, proves an effective exploration of such matters remains to be seen.

Participant's chief executive, Jeff Skoll, a co-founder of eBay, has promised to put his money behind films that make a difference. The company's corporate Web site, www.ParticipantProductions.com, explains that the company "believes in the power of media to create great social change."

"Our goal is to deliver compelling entertainment that will inspire audiences to get involved in the issues that affect us all," it continues.

In an interview, Mr. Strauss said that "Fast Food Nation" advances Participant's mission "in the sense of encouraging corporate responsibility."

The marketing plan for each Participant film includes activist outreach, especially on another company Web site, www.participate.net. Participant's first dramatic features, "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "North Country," opened this month - and the campaign for "North Country," whose plot involves issues of workplace discrimination and domestic violence, invites Web site visitors to "Sign the Women-Friendly Workplace Pledge" and "Implement a sexual harassment policy at your school." Although Mr. Strauss said Participant has had "internal discussions" about its "social action campaign" for "Fast Food Nation," the company will wait to announce its plans until the film is complete.