James Cameron’s company Lightstorm has picked up the rights to Joe Abercrombie’s latest novel The Devils — be very excited, folks!
British fantasy author Joe Abercrombie has recently released his latest novel The Devils, following condemned soldier Sergeant Fisk, who joins a squad of misfits on a near-suicidal quest. It’s a dark, grizzly, raucous tale of war, damnation, wit and horror. After his success with The First Law and The Shattered Sea — Joe Abercrombie continues to prove why he’s one of the best fantasy writers in the business.
Details on the deal are scarce; these are early days, of course. The novel released in May and we’re already talking about a big screen adaptation with one of the world’s most esteemed filmmakers. In fact, it’s not even clear whether Cameron will helm the film, but he is co-writing it alongside Abercrombie himself.
In a statement on Facebook, Cameron rhapsodised about The Devils:
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.
“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,” Cameron added. “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 continues to shine in the world of film and television. Most recently he wrote screenplays for the news season of beloved Netflix anthology Love, Death and Robots. There’s also a big budget adaptation of his First Law novel Best Served Cold in the works at Skydance helmed by Tim Miller (Deadpool) and starring Rebecca Ferguson (Dune). While the flick is still in development stage, further details have stagnated recently. It’s certainly one to keep an eye on!
We will keep you posted on all the latest updates on The Devils. In the meantime, consider subscribing to our weekly newsletter!
