Here’s something that’ll have many in the industry talking. I’m surprised the news hasn’t picked up steam yet, but it will ..
Although he remains committed to moving forward with his post-WWII epic “Ghosts of Hiroshima,” which has been intended to be his next project outside the ‘Avatar’ universe, James Cameron has now set his sights in adapting another book as a film.
In a Facebook post, Cameron announced that he has bought the rights to Joe Abercrombie’s bestselling novel “The Devils,” and that Cameron himself intends to co-write the script with Abercrombie. Not just that, he’s saying it’s the next thing he’ll be working on after the release of “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
I can’t wait to dig into this as I wind down on Avatar: Fire and Ash. It will be a joyful new challenge for me to bring these indelible characters to life.
“The Devils” is a fantasy novel set in a gritty, war-torn world filled with dark magic, political intrigue, and brutal conflict. It follows a condemned man, a disgraced and cunning former general who is plucked from death row to lead a desperate mission. His task: to command a misfit band of criminals, heretics, and outcasts—known as “the Devils”—on a near-suicidal quest to turn the tide of a war humanity is losing against monstrous foes.
‘Hiroshima’ was poised to become Cameron’s first non-‘Avatar’ feature since 1997’s “Titanic,” but since he’s co-writing “The Devils,” and there are hints sprinkled throughout today’s press release that he could direct it as well, maybe this will be next for him.
Cameron began developing the original ‘Avatar’ in 1999, and from a filmmaking perspective, it’s dominated his creative focus ever since. If current timelines hold, Cameron will have devoted nearly three decades almost exclusively to the Avatar franchise by 2027.
Last year, Cameron shared his intention to film ‘Hiroshima’ before beginning work on ‘Avatar 4.’ Hopefully, that plan is still in motion, though today’s news has certainly made it clear that he might have another film in mind.