Hollywood seems to be running out of original ideas right now, despite a wealth of literature old and new to choose from. Still, I suppose they could probably do a lot worse than a new adaptation of The Day of the Triffids, the latest sci-fi classic up for a contemporary reboot. Now, after much hemming and hawing, the film finally has a director in the form of Mike Newell.
The Day of the Triffids was originally a sci-fi novel by John Wyndham, later adapted into a 1962 film and a 2009 miniseries. It takes place in a dystopian future where a large percentage of the population have been blinded following a comet shower. This bodes well for the Triffids, a nasty species of alien plants with designs on planet Earth.
The most recent version of The Day of the Triffids has been in the works for four years now without moving forward. Sam Raimi was attached to direct at one point (wouldn’t that have been cool?), but is now obviously out of the running. With Newell taking the director’s chair, maybe the film will finally get going.
Newell might seem an odd choice to direct a dystopian sci-fi classic, given his body of work. He’s best known for personal, character-driven films like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Donnie Brasco, and Mona Lisa Smile. Unfortunately, his more recent work has left a little something to be desired: he was behind Prince of Persia and the latest version of Great Expectations. Though he’s shown promise in the past, we shall have to see if he can pull off an adequate adaptation of a pretty bizarre story.
We will keep an eye on The Day of the Triffids as things develop. Meanwhile, why don’t you tell us what you think about this latest Hollywood adaptation. Does it sound like fun? Can Newell pull it off? Let us know in the comments section.
