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EXCLUSIVE: Fox 2000 has set Matt Reeves to direct The Passage, the film based on the bestselling Justin Cronin novel about an experiment that goes awry and creates a swarm of bloodthirsty vampires that brings the world to the brink of extinction. Fox acquired the book in 2007 for north of $3 million right after Cronin (the PEN Hemingway Award winner originally submitted the book under a pseudonym) made a 3-book deal with Ballantine for $3.75 million based on the first 400 pages of the book and an outline for a novel series. Reeves directed Cloverfield and mined bloodsucker terrain on the remake Let Me In. Scott Free is producing.
In The Passage, a group of terminally ill cancer patients get healthy after being subjected to the bites of bats in South America. Naturally, the government see this as a cure for the disease and starts experimenting. They end up with a legion of nearly indestructible, telepathic vampire masters that begin infecting the populace. The tone is closer to 28 Days Later and The Stand than Let The Right One In or Twilight Saga. Reeves will supervise a rewrite of a script done by John Logan. Logan’s busy with the James Bond film, so they will get another writer in.
It’s the second deal Reeves has made in the last week. I just wrote that he’ll adapt a film based on the Ray Nelson short story 8 O’Clock in the Morning for Universal and Strike Entertainment, about a man who awakens to realize he and others are being controlled by aliens. Reeves is scripting that one himself. It isn’t entirely clear which film is up next, but The Passage has a big head start because Logan put a lot of time into it. Reeves is repped by CAA, 3 Arts and Karl Austen.
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The Passage was without question the most overrated novel of the past year. Started out great (about the first fifty pages)and then after the extended prologue became unbearable (to me, at least) and I gave up about half-way through.
I can’t imagine anyone who slogged through the first novel is going to go along for the second or third volume of that snorefest.
Totally agree with you. After two hundred pages I had to stop reading.
Oi, Flyover! Pull your head outta your arse, mate. It’s called characterization. It’s what great writers do. And Cronin did it magnificently. Novels are twelve-course meals meant to be relished slowly and deliciously. Not Big-Macs to be scarfed down quickly at your nearest Mcd’s. Maybe if you had appreciated what Cronin was doing in his set-up instead of scoffing at the “snorefest” that you thought it was, you would have enjoyed what was a terrifically told and utterly griping story. And just for your elucidation, multi-novel story arcs cannot, and should not, be set up in anything less then 200 pages. It cheapens the story.
It’s too bad the pacing was too “slow” for your pedestrian tastes. Might I suggest David Baldacci’s works instead? He seems particularly suited to your “easy and short”(read: dumb-downed and spastic) attention span.
You’re admonishing others because they thought the novel was boring and perhaps not to their liking? You do realize that you’re defending a novel that in short order will be “dumbed-down” and made “spastic” by Hollywood? Right, mate? Right?
Hollywood dumbing it down and making it spastic has no effect on the book, so I’m guessing he does realize that, although it’s off topic.
Strazz– I greatly enjoyed Lonesome Dove, The Pillars of The Earth (which, although very “soap-operish”, I greatly enjoyed)and many of James Michener’s novels. None of which were novellas. I guess I was put off by the “geekiness” of The Passage almost as much as the tedium.
Here here….I’m sitting right next to you Stazz,on your wagon, expectantly checking google for a release date for The Twelve. Your comments were what I would have written, if only I could have done it as good as you, so I hope you will let me share your sentiments. :^)
Yes,yes-what you said–right on target.With so many suffering from super short attention spans along with impatience,it’s a wonder any ‘great’ read gets a chance these days.Read the book,loved it.
18 vampire movies in production, pre-pro, development and at least that many zombie movies….
it’s just amazing how far American cinema has sunk over the last ten years and I just turned 25.
“sighs”
“sighs”? That does more to illustrate the alleged deterioration of our culture than Cronin’s fantastic zombie vampire apocalypse novel does. You’re an idiot, and so does anyone else who scoffs at the ability of literature and films to be endlessly creative. Judge books and movies by their content, not by their supposed genres.
*so is
Have you read this book? I expected it to be like the other vampire movies and books but it was nothing that I have ever read before… Original characters, original monsters, completely original idea. I think this would make a great film!
i read it w/o knowing it was a novel w/ blood sucking monsters (they aren’t really the vampires we’re used to today) and thought that it’ll be turn into a movie soon enough. it’s pretty epic scale, and fairly conventional hollywood storytelling. but i agree, very overrated.
Whew I must say man I could not disagree more. By only reading 200 pages I guess I can see why you think it may be boring. But this book is brilliant. The characters go through amazing trial and change. The book takes you through multiple time periods, hundreds of years and does it smoothly. You could make multiple movies out of this single book alone. I cannot imagine what people do not like about this book, honestly i am shocked
Wow. I’m surprised by a lot of the “readers” who thought this book was boring. I found it to be sensational. I expect that people who have short attention spans like I usually do, would be put off by a 900 page epic, but surprisingly this one was a page turner from the start.
I do agree/think that a single film treatment of this book is a huge mistake and will totally we hacked and slashed to fit into a 2 – 2.5 hour medium. Oh well.
I loved this novel and can’t wait for the next book. I thought the characters were unusual & thoughtfully written, and I don’t mind that the story spans many decades. In my opinion, it’s the best book I read last year. I hope the movie can capture the essence of the story.
I devoured the whole book and am chomping at the bit for The Twelve to be released.
I know how you feel. At that point in the book, i WAS A LITTLE BORED. However, as the book moves on, you see that in depth character descriptions are entirely necessary to understand the novel. In fact, I am thankful that he invested so much of the book into it. If you allow yourself to move on and finish the novel, I assure you will be taken aback. It is an incredible piece of literature.
You’re an idiot and have no capacity for story and imagination!
I guess its an acquired taste. I really loved it. And the second book too. I just hope the director of the movie adaptation don’t turn it into the junk that he did with Cloverfield. That was awful.
I hope you’ve gone back and tried to finish reading The Passage. It did have some slow parts but it’s worth the read. A co-worker told me about this novel and how it was the first in a trilogy which made me even more interested in the story Mr Cronin is trying to tell. I read a fair bit and I was looking for something new from someone rather than reading work from my usual faves, King, Koontz, Patterson… I was pleasantly surprised by the first book and I’m about to start the second. It’d be interesting to know how you feel about the book if you’ve read the whole story.
Well I loved it and am now reading The Twelve, the book is a heavy read but well worth it. Well developed characters, and hope that they dont hack and slash it down to an hour of special effects.
Geeez…so derivative! So not interested.
Whatever! That book was da bomb!
I read The Passage and it was great. It was suspenseful, mysterious and scary. I hope they stick to the book and not deviate that much, but some of that is necessary. I look forward to seeing the movie and to reading the next book.
I liked this the first time when it was called I AM LEGEND.
I hated it the first time it was called, I AM LEGEND.
The novel, written and published by Richard Matheson in the late 1950s, or the semi-not-really faithful 2007 adaptation starring Will Smith? If the former, then like or love is certainly deserved. If the latter, it’s flawed, no doubt, but not worthy of a word as strong as hate, unless, of course, you can’t help but use hyperbole at every opportunity.
The book was great. Vincent Price’s film, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, was fun if cheesy. OMEGA MAN was cheesy and sometimes fun. The recent I AM LEGEND film with Will Smith had some nice moments but doesn’t come close to Matheson’s novel.
Magnificent comment!
Nice comment too 100stone3x but Cornelius made me laugh out loud.
Your comment makes literally no sense and sucks. You have contributed nothing. This book is nothing like I am Legend. I am seriously questioning wether or not you read either
Is this a joke? April Fool’s Month?
Isn’t the world on the brink of extinction due to the rash of vampire films already?
C’mon. You’re better than that, Mr. Reeves.
Reeves gotta’ eat!!
V
How many of these are the public supposed to show up for? Seems like more than any time previously, the studios are all making the same movies.
The Passage wasn’t just one of the best genre books of 2010; it was one of the best books, period. Elegant writing, great characters, good action set pieces…it’s up there with The Stand. Cronin took the time to set up his characters well, and as a result you cared about what happened to them. If Reeves can do the same thing on film, he’ll have a winner.
have any of you guys read the book?
I am Legend is one of the best stories I have ever read. It would be really hard for any book to live up to it because it was just so innovative and the ending is one of the best ever.
I read The Passage and liked it quite a bit. Granted, a lot was derivative of other stories, but I thought he weaved everything together well. The characters were fleshed out pretty nicely, too. I’m not sure I want to see the movie, but I’ll definitely read the next book.
The Passage scared the shit out of me! I got halfway through and stopped sleeping. It’s a great movement in vampire fiction; goes back to the root powers of Dracula, mind control, etc, combined with fast-zombie-style bloodshed. Very creepy. I’m not a huge fan of Matt Reeve, but his having picked this project makes me think better of him than before.
Will never happen…
Let Me In was an excellent film.
Let the Right One In was an excellent film. Let Me In added nothing to it.
Enough with the vampires already!
@Donna
Agreed. OK…different strokes for different folks, but the whole zombie / vampire thing I just do not get.
I’m a 40-ish male, probably nowhere the demo for this stuff…but…
I think I’ve only been creeped out by vampire flicks 2times.
1. Salems Lot TV Movie. The whole nosferatu thing gave me nightmares for years.
2. Christopher Lee as Dracula….think it was some Hammer film.
Everything else seems so … meh. The Coppola ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ film had it’s moments…but not really scary.
I suppose as long as folks keep spending $$$ on the stuff, someone will keep producing it.
IMO…it just seems that the whole genre is creatively tapped.
Wait a sec… there are going to be more novels? Where is that news posted? Nothing led me to believe that. The story ended I felt as it should. I haven’t read where this is a trilogy or something.
yep this was originally sold as a trilogy. i love end of world books/movies, zombies and vampires. And i love this book. have to get an e reader thou due to the damn weight. I am legend the book was interesting if now a bit dated with a great twist. Havent seen the vincent price version but like charlton hestons go but the religious tones got a bit much and is now really dated. Loved will smith – hey hes will smith.
End of the world novels such as the stand appeal to a certain segment of the market. We dont bag your quick fast and disposable readings and so give those of us who enjoy an in depth reading alone and for the record im a 39 yr female and not exactley the target market.
Besides World War Z, The Passage is easily the best book ever written.
I read the book. I sensed it going down, but I stuck with it. I think Cronin wanted to write just one book, but got all this hype and buzz and deals and realized he had potentially another Twilight on his hands. So he like tripled the cast of characters, and made the last third of the book totally just meander along so he could turn it into a series.
Having said that, I hope that these guys learn from I Am Legend and create something better than that mediocre film.
I eagerly awaited the phone call from my library letting me know that the 75 people on the wait list ahead of me had finally read The Passage. I devoured the book (even through some of its slower sections), and was not happy to learn that it was not a stand-alone novel. The end frustrated me, but I can’t wait for the next installment!
The writing was intelligent, the characters well drawn, and there was nothing cartoony or campy about it.
On a side note, I also can not wait for the third installment in the Strain series. The first two were excellent!
This is not a traditional vampire story in any way, shape or form. The thing that makes this book scary is not the scary unknown “monster” vampire, but the fact that the inadvertent release of some massively destructive virus is a potential threat in our real world – not some fairy tale magic. (I think of chaos theory and all – you know – Crichton’s Jurassic Park – when the scientifically improbable/impossible becomes reality…)
So, this virus isn’t scaray because it just kills people. It outright alters them into something horrific, and cruel, violent and consuming. Utterly inhuman/unhuman, despite the root human being who was the origin of the monstrosity.
This is NOT the prototypical romantic vampire seduction story. Uh-uh. This is The Stand on overdrive. If you live, you are NOT out of the woods, since the infected don’t die – they just keep feeding and spreading the virus.
I didn’t find this story drawn out or overwrought at all – but I admit to being a major consumer of epic fantasy, so perhaps I’m just tolerant of or have a preference for really long sagas. I like to hang with my characters for a bit.
I enjoyed the book immensely, and I’m looking forward to the next two, which have reported release dates of 2012 and 2014.
Im a forty six year old wife & mother of 5. I just read The Passage & although agree with some that it was tedious in places, the overall effect of this book was thought provoking. I enjoyed it. Normally I don’t read much in the way of horror but the author really did a fine job creating characters you could relate to, envy, admire or dislike. Did it drag? Sure. And did I almost get lost a time or two? Sure, especially when I’m dying to find out how the trip to CO will end. I too enjoy Michener novels, Follett’s novels(especially Pillars and World without end) but because of this ok in particular I won’t be a snob about horror ovels anymore, I don’t know that I’ll be interested in a movie bc typical horror movies leave me with nightmares but if it’s well done by sticking to the story and not entirely focused on blood & guts, it might just be fantastic.
I have just completed Passage (for the second time) and read The TWelve which I just purchased. I really like the metaphysical and spiritual aspects as well as the characterization.
I would have done a few things differently perhaps, but I didn’t, so I can only express my thanks and gratitude for the fine and intelligent work that was done. It is also very nice to see a non-sterotypical handling of soldiers!
I recommend these works very stongly.
Does any one know when this movie will actually be out?
(I can’t wait)
Are you serious? American cinema has always relished the spectacle of a good monster movie! Some of the most valuable movie memorabilia are posters from old monster flicks. There were periods in cinema history that were ruled almost completely by cheap horror flicks. Research research research
I just picked up a copy of The Twelve a few days ago and can’t wait to start reading it. I agree with most of what others have said here in praise of the Passage. I thought it was a great book. Of course it was slow in some parts put it’s the same as any other great novel or great movie when they’re trying to develop their characters. If they don’t do that you wouldn’t care about the characters at all. There were some parts when I had to force myself not to read the bottom of the page to see it the character was going to be alright. Very good story telling by Justin Cronin in my opinion. as far as the movie goes, I really hope they don’t screw it up too much. I can only think of a few movies that did their novel couterpart justice, ie The Green Mile. I just hope they make the virals look as close to Mr Cronin’s vision as possible. With the advances in CGI lately I hope they don’t skimp on the effects and make it a worthwhile movie going experience for fans of the book and just plain fans of this genre. Now I have to go, I have a book to read.
Well we sat through 11 years of Harry Potter, are about to be bombarded with another 3 -5 years of Hobbits, so I’m totally hyped for this book to become a movie. Very different than Twilight, and hopefully no “I glitter in the sunlight Vampires”. Just to add…I read between 2-3 books a month, and some I like and some I dont. This one is going on the bookshelf as a real book. I’d also like to see Discovery of Witches made into a movie.