As his old mucker Danny Boyle toils away on sci-fi drama Sunshine, Trainspotting screenwriter John Hodge is to tackle something that trades in a similarly fantastical vein, The Dark Is Rising, based on the highly acclaimed series of books by Susan Cooper.
Steeped in Welsh and Celtic legend, Rising charts the story of Will Stanton, a kid who discovers he is the last in a line of immortal warriors who have dedicated their lives to battling the forces of darkness. Uncovering a trail of mysterious clues, Stanton has the future of the world thrust in his hands as he learns that the darkness is, once again, on the rise.
Produced by Marc Platt (Legally Blonde) for Walden Media (the company behind the new Narnia films), there is no news whether the other books in the series — "Over Sea, Under Stone", "Greenwitch", "The Grey King" and "Silver On The Tree" — are also up for adaptation – but don't rule it out yet.