James Cameron has been burined deep in the world of Pandora for years, but he’s announced what his next film project will be. The filmmaker behind Aliens, Titanic, and Avatar announced on Facebook that his next movie after Avatar: Fire and Ash will be an adaptation of The Devils.
The Devil’s is a brand-new fantasy novel by British author Joe Abercrombie, and Cameron is producing and co-writing the script with Abercrombie himself. The director said:
“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 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 has built a loyal following in the grimdark fantasy space. His First Law series redefined the genre with its morally compromised antiheroes and sharp, self-aware writing. But, The Devils, which just hit shelves last month via Tor, kicks off a new trilogy, one with a very different premise.
Set in a warped version of our own world, The Devils imagines a Europe crawling with unspeakable monsters and under siege by flesh-eating elves. The story centers on Brother Diaz, a weary soldier-priest tasked with assembling a team of both men and monsters to fight back the rising tide of horror.
Abercrombie seems just as excited about the team-up, saying:
“I can’t think of anyone better to bring this weird and wonderful monster of a book to the screen,” he said in a statement.
This isn’t the only Abercrombie film adaptation in the works. Best Served Cold, one of his most beloved standalone novels, is currently being developed as a feature film with Rebecca Ferguson set to play the deadly Monza Murcatto. That project is being directed by Deadpool’s Tim Miller and is currently in pre-production.
Cameron, meanwhile, still has a few stops left on the Avatar train. Fire and Ash, the third installment in his sprawling sci-fi epic, is scheduled to open on December 19th. Two more sequels are planned after that, with tentative release dates in 2029 and 2031. But clearly, the filmmaker is already mapping out his next creative obsession.
If The Devils lands with the scope and visual intensity we associate with Cameron, and given the source material, this could be a great new chapter for both the director and modern fantasy cinema.
The Devils is available now in print, ebook, and audiobook formats.
