James Cameron, the man behind blockbusters such as The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Titanic, has announced a collaboration with British author Joe Abercrombie, to co-write a script based on the latter's bestselling dark fantasy novel, The Devils. Cameron's production house Lightstorm has purchased the rights to the book that was released last month and reached the top of the bestselling charts in the UK.
Interestingly, Abercrombie, known for his fantasy fiction trilogies such as First Law and Age of Madness, has some experience in filmmaking himself, having once briefly worked as a film editor.
In an official statement, Cameron shared why he was drawn to the book. “How do I describe The Devils? A sharply witty horror adventure? An epic battle between good and evil except most of the time you can’t tell which is which? A twisted, stylish, alt-universe Middle-Ages romp, where your best hope of survival is the monsters themselves? This is Joe Abercrombie in absolute peak form, opening up a whole new world and an ensemble of delicious new characters. The twists and turns come at a rollercoaster pace and with Joe’s signature acerbic wit and style. The Devils showcases Joe’s jaundiced view of human nature, in all its dark, selfish glory, as told through some decidedly un-human characters. But of course, Joe always teases with the flickers of redemption that make it all worthwhile — and ultimately quite heartwrenching.”
The Aliens and True Lies filmmaker added that he has been a longtime fan of Abercrombie's fiction, and listed some of his favourites of the author. “I’ve loved Joe’s writing for years, cherishing each new read, throughout the epic cycle of the First Law books, especially Best Served Cold (Love it!) and the Age of Madness trilogy. But the freshness of the world and the characters in The Devils finally got me off my butt to buy one of his books and partner with him to bring it to the screen. I’m looking forward to the writing process with him, though I’m certain this adaptation will practically write itself because Joe writes very visually, almost in scenes, and with a very cinematic structure. I can’t wait to dig into this as I wind down on Avatar: Fire and Ash. It will be a joyful new challenge for me to bring these indelible characters to life.”
Expressing his elation on collaborating with the blockbuster veteran, Abercrombie says he can't think of anyone better than realising his adaptation for the screen: “James Cameron has been thrilling audiences, including me, by putting the impossible on film for over four decades. No one can balance mind-blowing action and spectacle with gut-wrenching personal stakes and story the way he does."
Meanwhile, Cameron is hard at work on the final touches of Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third film in the space-based sci-fi franchise, and engaged in the post-production process of Avatar 4.
Slated for release on December 19, Avatar: Fire and Ash will see the return of Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Kate Winslet and Sigourney Weaver, among others. In Fire and Ash, Cameron will introduce a Na'vi clan known as the 'Ash clan' whose leader Varang, played by Oona Chaplin, is expected to play an antagonist who locks horns with Jake (Sam Worthington).
The director also called it the longest of the franchise so far, meaning it will go beyond the 3 hours 12 minutes runtime of the second film, Avatar: The Way of Water. It's not yet clear whether he'll direct the fifth film. Cameron had recently hinted that he might ask someone to take over the fifth.
Notably, the filmmaker had also announced plans to adapt two books by Charles Pellegrino — Ghosts of Hiroshima and Last Train From Hiroshima — into one film. If the project indeed comes to fruition, it will mark his first non-Avatar film since Titanic.
