‘Southern Reach’ Trilogy Acquired By Paramount, Scott Rudin
The unpublished “Southern Reach” trilogy has been acquired by Paramount and Scott Rudin Productions, according to a Tuesday report by Media Bistro.
The website stated that Annihilation, the first book in the series by author Jeff VanderMeer, will appear in 2014.
According to the book’s press release, Annihilation will focus on “a biologist who, in seeking answers to her husband’s tragic disappearance, volunteers for an expedition into an area sealed off as an environmental disaster zone, only to find a pristine wilderness — but in Area X the rules of nature seem to work a little differently.”
Beyond that, little is known about how the series will develop or about the supporting cast of characters. Media Bistro claimed the sale happened “within hours.”
VanderMeer’s previous works include Finch, part of his acclaimed Ambergris saga, Predator: South China Sea, Shriek: An Afterword, Veniss Underground, and City of Saints and Madmen.
According to the author’s official website, he has won the World Fantasy Award twice and has been a finalist for the Hugo Award, the International Horror Guild Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award.
The acquisition of the Southern Reach trilogy by Scott Rudin Productions and Paramount is a very big deal for the scribe and easily his most lucrative credit to date.
Producer Rudin has breathed life into some of the most critically acclaimed films of the last ten years including Best Picture winner No Country for Old Men as well as There Will Be Blood, The Social Network, Moneyball, and Moonrise Kingdom.
His recent foray into television with HBO’s Newsroom has stirred controversy and won critical praise. He has also found success with Book of Mormon, which recently set the single day record for ticket sales in London theater history.
For the remainder of 2013, Rudin’s IMDb resume has revealed Inside Llewyn Davis, Captain Phillips, and Silicon Valley.
Have you read Jeff VanderMeer, and what are your thoughts on the concept of Annihilation and the Southern Reach trilogy?
[Jeff VanderMeer image via Wikipedia Commons]
