The future for “The Impossible” director Juan Antonio Bayona is filled with scary creatures. He’s already helmed a couple episodes of Showtime‘s upcoming “Penny Dreadful,” and the biggest project on his plate at the moment is the gig directing the “World War Z” sequel. But the Brad Pitt zombie flick is still developing, so in the interim Bayona will turn his attention to another movie with fearsome monsters.
The director has lined up the adaptation of Patrick Ness‘ novel “A Monster Calls,” and best of all, it already has a script ready to go. It’s one that has already garnered industry attention, with Ness himself penning the script that landed on last year’s Black List of best unproduced screenplays. Here’s the logline for the movie:
An adolescent boy with a terminally ill single mother begins having visions of a tree monster, who tells him the truths about life in the form of three stories, helping him to eventually cope with his emotions over his dying mom.
And for more, here’s the Amazon syopsis:
At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting– he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.
Sounds like a potent blend of drama, fantasy and horror, and should be right up Bayona’s alley. The wheels are already in motion on this one with Focus Features plotting a 2016 release. So does that mean no “World War Z 2” until at least 2017? Seems like it, as this is officially Bayona’s next project. [The Wrap]