AThe Martianreunion is in the making, and it’s mighty promising. Per Deadline, directorRidley Scottis set to reteam with 20th Century Fox and hisThe MartianscribeDrew Goddardfor an adaptation of theS. Craig ZahlernovelWraiths of the Broken Land, which will put Scott firmly in Western territory for the first time in his career. The story revolves around the attempt to rescue two kidnapped sisters forced into prostitution, although the book isn’t a Western in the classic sense, as it’s described as a piece of fiction that combines elements of “horror, noir, and Asian ultra-violence.” With Scott and Goddard onboard to boot? Sign me up.
The MartianproducerSimon Kinbergis also involved in the project, producing alongsideAditya SoodandMichael Schaefer, although this is shaping up to be a decidedly darker tale than their optimistic sci-fi of Best Picture nominee. Scott is currently in production on his promisedPrometheussequelAlien: Covenant, and he maintains his intention to round out the franchise witha further sequel(s)that will connect the series back around toAlien, so it’s unclear whereWraiths of the Broken Landfits on his schedule. He has separately been eyeingan adaptation of the British sci-fi seriesThe Prisoner, but that project has yet to firm up into anything concrete.
As for Goddard, he was originally set to directThe Martianbefore he stepped away to serve as showrunner on Marvel’s Netflix seriesDaredevil, which he subsequently left to write and direct Sony’s plannedSpider-ManspinoffSinister Six. That project was eventually scuttled and we’re still awaiting Goddard’s directorial follow-up to his stellar debutThe Cabin in the Woods, but he’s a terrific writer so his involvement here withWraiths of the Broken Landis certainly promising.
Scott moves quickly, so it’s possible he could get to this by early 2017, and it’s hard not to be excited about the pairing of hard-edged, violent Western with the directing sensibilities of Ridley Scott. Here’s hoping we see this sooner rather than later.
