Word on the street (and by street, I mean 'that other site I just heard about') is that Catherine Hardwicke has picked her next next project; she's going to make the film version of the dystopic, science-fiction, futuristic book series The Maze Runner by James Dasher. I guess she actually really likes genre, cause she keeps doing it!
As far as Hardwicke's science fiction, horror, and fantasy efforts go, first she made Twilight, which no director in the right mind woul turn down; then she made Red Riding Hood, a fantasy/horror adaptation of the classic fairy tale (except this one has werewolves). Now she's doing some serious sci-fi. I love her. (Look forward to our long-ass interview with her this January, in which she spills the beans about Red Riding Hood, out in March 2011.
The site Playlist reported that "A representative" of Hardwicke confirms that she wants to direct a version of The Maze Runner, the first in a trilogy of novels by James Dasher, (the following novel is titled The Scorch Trials, and the last is The Death Cure) about a teenager named Thomas who is trapped in something called 'The Glade", which is some kind of maze. Fox owns it, and I'm sure that anything that appeals to teenagers in the film industry is huge huge huge, as Twilight and Harry Potter have made gajillions of dollars around the world from a primarily young adult audience.
The official synopsis of the novel The Maze Runner runs as follows: Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies from below. A new boy arrives every 30 days. The original group has been in “the glade” for two years, trying to find a way to escape through a maze that surrounds their living space. They have begun to give up hope. Then a comatose girl arrives with a strange note, and their world begins to change. There are some great, fast-paced action scenes, particularly those involving the nightmarish Grievers who plague the boys. Thomas is a likable protagonist who uses the information available to him and his relationships (including his ties to the girl, Teresa) to lead the Gladers.
Dasher himself is writing the script, so those of you who are rabid young fans fret not - it will probably be relatively similar to the original story. Lindsay Williams is producing. More news as we hear it - we're going to be up Hardwicke's ass this year. We're excited!
