Jump to content

Draft:Blood Meridian (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blood Meridian
Directed byJohn Hillcoat
Screenplay byJohn Logan
Based onBlood Meridian
by Cormac McCarthy
Produced by
Production
companies
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Blood Meridian is an upcoming American western film directed by John Hillcoat and is based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy.

Plot[edit]

A young boy finds himself amongst a group of ruthless scalphunters in the 1850's.

Production[edit]

An adaptation of the novel by Cormac McCarthy was toyed with for several years. In an interview in 2010, director Michael Haneke stated he considered making the film, but found it "too bloody".[1] In 2013, Ridley Scott discussed a since abandoned adaptation he planned to direct, with William Monahan penning the screenplay. Scott stated the reason it went unmade was because several film studios were unwilling to produce it.[2] In 2014, James Franco uploaded a 25 minute test film to Vice magazine's website starring Dave Franco, Scott Glenn, Luke Perry and Mark Pellegrino.[3] In February 2016, director John Hillcoat, having previously directed another McCarthy adaptation The Road, stated he was interested in making the film, with McCarthy himself offering to adapt the screenplay for him, but said that producer Scott Rudin was preventing it.[4] Development on an adaptation first began during the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, when it was announced that Franco would direct and star in the film, alongside Russell Crowe, Tye Sheridan and Vincent D'Onofrio. However, the project was cancelled the same day after it was revealed the film rights had not been granted.[5]

In April 2023, it was announced New Regency was producing the adaptation, with Hillcoat set to direct the film. McCarthy will serve as an executive producer alongside his son John Francis.[6] In early June, Hillcoat revealed McCarthy would be writing the adaptation,[7] however McCarthy would die later that month.[8] Hilcoat stated that McCarthy had begun writing the screenplay, but the process slowed prior to his death.[9] In April 2024, it was announced John Logan was now writing the screenplay.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bell, Christopher (December 22, 2010). "Michael Haneke Considered Blood Meridian, Has Epic Sci-Fi Gambling Movie He Wants To Make". IndieWire. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  2. ^ Schmidlin, Charlie (October 25, 2013). "NC-17? Hell, Ridley Scott Says His Blood Meridian Adaptation Would Have Been "Double X" Horrific". IndieWire. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  3. ^ Franco, James (July 21, 2014). "James Franco's Blood Meridian Test". Vice Media. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  4. ^ Perez, Rodrigo (February 29, 2016). "John Hillcoat Says Cormac McCarthy Has Offered To Adapt Blood Meridian For Him, But Scott Rudin Is Blocking Him". IndieWire. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  5. ^ Jaafar, Ali (May 5, 2016). "Plug Pulled On Russell Crowe-James Franco Blood Meridian Project Over Book Rights Issue – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  6. ^ Kroll, Justin (April 28, 2023). "New Regency Adapting Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian Into Feature Film With John Hillcoat Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  7. ^ Booth, Ned; Scott, Joe (June 2, 2023). "Blood Meridian: John Hillcoat Says Cormac McCarthy Is Writing The Adaptation Of The Bloody, Bleak Western". The Playlist. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  8. ^ Goodwyn, Wade (June 13, 2023). "Cormac McCarthy, American novelist of the stark and dark, dies at 89". NPR. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023.
  9. ^ Hillcoat, John (June 16, 2023). "'A man of miracles': The Road director John Hillcoat on Cormac McCarthy". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  10. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 24, 2024). "John Logan To Adapt Cormac McCarthy's 'Blood Meridian For New Regency". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 24 April 2024.

External links[edit]