James Cameron Teams Up with Joe Abercrombie to Adapt The Devils for the Big Screen

James Cameron and his company Lightstorm have just picked up the rights to The Devils, a new book by author Joe Abercrombie. The announcement came on June 2 from Los Angeles. According to the press release, Abercrombie will be working with Cameron to co-write the script.

The Devils hit bookstores on May 6 and quickly became a huge success. It went straight to number one on the Sunday Times bestseller list in the UK and also landed at number five on the New York Times list in the US.

Cameron seems very excited about the project. He said, “How do I describe The Devils? A sharply witty horror adventure? An epic battle between good and evil except most of the time you can’t tell which is which? A twisted, stylish, alt-universe middle-ages romp, where your best hope of survival is the monsters themselves? This is Joe Abercrombie in absolute peak form, opening up a whole new world and an ensemble of delicious new characters.”

He also added, “The twists and turns come at a rollercoaster pace, and with Joe’s signature acerbic wit and style. The Devils showcases Joe’s jaundiced view of human nature, in all its dark, selfish glory, as told through some decidedly un-human characters. But of course, Joe always teases with the flickers of redemption that make it all worthwhile — and ultimately quite heartwrenching.”

Cameron mentioned he’s been a fan of Abercrombie for a long time, especially books like Best Served Cold and the Age of Madness trilogy.

He said that The Devils was the one that finally convinced him to buy the rights and work with Abercrombie. “I’m looking forward to the writing process with him, though I’m certain this adaptation will practically write itself because Joe writes very visually, almost in scenes, and with a very cinematic structure,” he said. “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.”

Abercrombie also shared his excitement. “James Cameron has been thrilling audiences, including me, by putting the impossible on film for over four decades,” he said. “No one can balance mind-blowing action and spectacle with gut-wrenching personal stakes and story the way he does. I can’t think of anyone better to bring this weird and wonderful monster of a book to the screen.”

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