We may still be six months out from the release of James Cameron’s epic sci-fi threequel Avatar: Fire And Ash, but that isn’t stopping the iconic filmmaker from lining up more sure-to-be-box-office-smashing ducks on the horizon. Yesterday, the Terminator creator confirmed via his official social media accounts that after his latest check-in with the Na’vi, his production company Lightstorm will be shifting focus to work on an adaptation of Joe Abercrombie’s dark fantasy tome The Devils. And, what’s more, Cameron himself will co-write the movie with the book’s author.
Released just last month, The Devils — a sort-of fantastical riff on The Dirty Dozen that sees literal demons band together to avert an impending apocalypse — is the latest book from Abercrombie, whose past bestselling works include the First Law cycle. Cameron is, as his announcement of The Devils’ acquisition attests, a massive fan. “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?” writes Cameron. “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.”
Continuing, Cameron praised his co-writer and The Devils’ author — and the impact his existing work has had on him. “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.”
The Devils joins Charles Pellegrino’s The Last Train From Hiroshima in Cameron’s ever-busy pipeline, which still includes the final two of his planned five Avatar movies. And while it remains to be seen whether Cameron will direct The Devils as well as writing it, the prospect of the blockbuster king turning his genre nous from the realms of sci-fi to fantasy is a tantalising one, indeed. Consider us locked in and ready for *ahem* a hell of a journey whenever The Devils reaches our screens.
