Back in January, we reported that one of the companies behind The Spiderwick Chronicles had bought the rights to Kat Falls’ soon-to-be-published young adult novel Dark Life. Now Disney and director Robert Zemeckis have jumped on board, with Zemeckis planning to direct.
Dark Life, you might recall, is set in a near future world where rising ocean levels and other natural incidents have pushed some to relocate under the sea. Oh, and while they’re down their, a few of their kids develop supernatural powers.
Of course, there’s also a government conspiracy to unravel and a teenage boy and girl must join forces to fight the forces of evil etc, etc.
Falls has the book out in stores this May, and had originally planned a couple of follow-ups. But if the first film hits, expect Disney to “suggest” (with a big cash payment) she keeps the series going.
But first there is the matter of this initial story. The question now is whether Zemeckis will opt for another performance capture outing (with Disney having pulled the plug on his ImageMovers Digital facility, at least once the company’s next project is complete) or whether he’ll (crosses fingers, hopes against hope) give live action another try. Come on, Rob – we know performance capture can do a lot, but we want you back making regular blockbusters for a while…