James Cameron to Pen Adaptation of Dark Horror Fantasy ‘The Devils’

Filmmaker James Cameron (Avatar, The Terminator) took to FB today to announce that his production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, has acquired rights to author Joe Abercrombie‘s latest novel, The Devils.

Cameron will co-write the feature adaptation with Abercrombie.

As for the plot, the novel follows a special task force of monsters enlisted to save Europe from flesh-eating elves. 

The official synopsis reads: “Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds. Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters, and the mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends.

“Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it’s a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side.”

Cameron says, “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.”

He continued, “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.”

Abercrombie adds “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. I can’t think of anyone better to bring this weird and wonderful monster of a book to the screen.“

The Devils was published May 6 and landed on the NYT Bestseller list.

Cameron’s third film in his Avatar series, Avatar: Fire and Ash, arrives in theaters on December 19. It sounds as though the filmmaker will be taking a break from Pandora to venture into The Devils, so stay tuned.

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