Even though this isn’t a love-soaked profession championing novel adaptations, it’s amazing how many great, established classics and neo-classics out there that will probably never see the cinematic light of day. And yet Hollywood keeps snatching up young adult fiction without even waiting for the books to be released.
The latest of these, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is Josin L. McQuein’s upcoming sci-fi novel Arclight, which was picked up by Universal, and is the first in a lucrative two-book deal McQuein made with publisher Greenwillow Books. (Fingers crossed that the word “trilogy” never gets mentioned.) Matthew Sand, known for writing 2009’s flashy action flick Ninja Assassin is scripting the adaptation.
Arclight, which has nothing to do with the muscled Marvel villain nor the California movie theater chain, follows the whole “light vs. darkness” motif used time and time again. Monsters known as the Fade haunt the thick darkness surrounding the Arclight, a wall of light that protects the last human beings living behind it. A young girl, Martha, comes into the light from the dark not remembering anything about herself, but once she becomes threatened her innate powers come out, and she probably saves the day.
Famed producer Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment is on board the project, and considering he co-owns Imagine with Ron Howard,perhaps the Oscar winning director could find himself attached to the project? (But only for a few months before he drops it to direct something further out in left field). Even if that doesn't happen, though, Grazer's name could attract some well-known talent, and I'm sure we'll hear more about the project Arclight in the near future.
