You know the collection of books and graphic novels must be extremely limited when studios go into a fierce bidding war for one that won't be published until 2009. Written by Justin Cronin, who was using the pseudonym Jordan Ainsley to hide his identity, The Passage first sold to Ballantine Books after a heated auction during the Fourth of July holiday. News got around, the book just had to be adapted, and a new bidding war began for screen rights.
Fox 2000 had to pay seven figures to win the partial manuscript intended as a trilogy for Ridley Scott to not only produce under his Scott Free banner, but possibly direct.
Ridley Scott Hangin' in The Passage
From the author who wrote Mary and O'Neil, The Passage is a departure for Cronin, as it is a postapocalyptic vampire story set in 2016. The dark tale revolves around a U.S. government project gone awry that turn a group of experimental subjects -- condemned inmates plucked from death row -- into highly infectious vampires. Meanwhile, an orphan named Amy discovers that she has unusual powers, seemingly related to the crisis that quickly overtakes civilized society.
The Passage marks another step into the resurgence of vampire films in Hollywood. We have I Am Legend coming our way, Universal is working to set up Dracula Year Zero, Columbia is developing an adaptation for The Historian and Rogue is working to adapt the popular video game, Castlevania, into a feature film.
I guess none of them wanted to first see if we were ready for vampire movies again. Test the waters like.
Add to Heffee!
