Prince Caspian – the second in the seven-film Chronicles Of Narnia series – may not be released until June 27 next year, but it seems that its director, Andrew Adamson, is already plotting his escape from Narnia.
For the likeable, shaggy-haired New Zealander has signed on as producer, with a view to directing, the werewolf thriller Benighted for Warner Bros.
Graham King – the British producer behind so many of Martin Scorsese’s recent flicks – will also produce under his new GK Films banner.
Based on a novel by Kit Whitfield, Benighted could be that rarest of things – an original and compelling werewolf flick. Set in a world where 90% of the population are lycanthropes and the remaining humans have to keep the peace during the full moon, the film will centre on a human government worker who gets drawn into a murder mystery when two humans, one of whom is her best friend, turn up dead – shot with silver bullets.
It’s been a long time since we were graced with a werewolf movie to catalogue with the likes of The Howling and An American Werewolf In London, so let’s hope that Adamson, if he commits, can unleash the potential in a story that meshes film noir with horror. It also has a great lead character, in the guise of female investigator, Lola Galley - we'd suggest Kate Beckinsale for the part, but we don't want this to be too Underworld-y.
In fact, we'd argue that this should be as far removed from Underworld as possible.
At the moment, the film is at script stage, with Patrick Smith Kelly on board to hammer away at a keyboard, while making lots of notes in a worn copy of the Whitfield novel. But it sounds like something that Adamson should do – a (presumably R-rated) world away from kiddie flicks like the good Shrek movies, and Narnia.
And, if Adamson ever feels lost and alone, he can always bring on his Narnia buddies, Richard Taylor of Weta and Howard Berger of KNB to do the werewolf effects – now that’s something worth howling at the moon for.