The new version of a film based on William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson’s sci-fi novel Logan’s Run has been eluding filmmakers and rights owners Warner Bros. for more than a decade now. But things could finally be turning around for the studio’s efforts, with writer/producer Simon Kinberg now aboard to jumpstart a fresh attempt{
Warners has been trying to get this one moving for at least 15 years, hiring writers and directors including Alex Garland, Will Beal, Christopher McQuarrie, Bryan Singer and Nicolas Winding Refn to work on scripts and develop ideas, with the latter bringing Ryan Gosling aboard for one of the efforts that came closest to being realised. But try as they might, none of them managed to get it to production.
Nolan and Johnson’s book – famously adapted for the screen in 1976 starring Michael York and Jenny Agutter – imagines a future society that appears idyllic, but is organised according to one tough rule: those reaching a certain age (21 in the book, 30 in the film) must report to execution chambers. Runners are those who refuse to surrender to the authorities, with officers known as Sandmen sent to track them down. York’s Logan is one such law keeper, who discovers that all is not quite what it seems. The film spawned a short-lived (pun entirely intended) TV series.
Kinberg has developed a reputation for shepherding complicated projects to the screen, parlaying writing success into his current status as a major writer/producer on at least two huge franchises including 20th Century Fox’s X-Men films and their fellow Marvel movies and Disney’s continuing Star Wars universe, which includes his work on the animated Star Wars Rebels TV series. For Logan’s Run, he’ll write a story and treatment for the new film, and produce alongside long-time trustee Joel Silver. Whether the pair can actually get the movie made is another matter, but Kinberg’s involvement could conceivably see Singer (who collaborates with him on the likes of X-Men: Days Of Future Past and the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse) back on the Logan train.