Well, here's a nice little reward for the rising director Craig Zobel. After coming to attention with his 2007 comedy "Great World Of Sound," the helmer made big waves this year with the unsettling thriller "Compliance." The film, essentially about a prank that goes to some very dark and twisted places, inspired impassioned responses from those who both loved and hated the film, and it seems that buzz has reached the ears of some pretty important folks. And as Zobel gears up a new film, he's got a pretty big name to help him make it happen.
Tobey Maguire will star in and produce the post-apocalyptic drama "Z For Zachariah" which Zobel will direct. Based on the novel by Robert C. O'Brien, and adapted by Nissar Modi (Gary Ross' developing "Outback" with Carey Mulligan still attached to star and Maguire to produce) into a 2009 Black List script, the story follows a Midwestern teenager who survives a nuclear war and nerve gas thanks to the self-contained weather system in the valley that she lives in. Her world changes when two strangers arrive from the forest, and Maguire will play a scientist she cares for after he falls ill from a contaminated stream.
It will certainly be the biggest canvas for Zobel yet, while continuing along with big thematic ideas, and it's another interesting project for Maguire who has been very, very choosy about his roles post-"Spider-Man." It's compelling stuff all around. No word yet on when this will roll, but you can get a taste for the story right now. In 1984 the BBC show "Play For Today" adapted the story into a standalone episode which thanks to the magic of the interwebs, you can watch below. [Variety]