Every once in a while, multiple elements spanning fantasy fiction, technology and entertainment converge in a perfect storm of geekyness so intriguing, that it jumps the fence and makes it to the mainstream masses.
Well, okay -- this happens all the time, actually. (See "Blade Runner," "Lord of the Rings," "Harry Potter," etc.) This time, though, there's a unique twist: Filimmaker Paul W. S. Anderson and partner Jeremy Bolt, the guys credited with/blamed for the "Resident Evil" franchise, just nabbed the film rights to 'The Warded Man',-- a debut fantasy novel written by Peter V. Brett -- on his cell phone.
Brett, who was working in advertising at the time, wrote the book on his BlackBerry to kill time on his two-hour commute to Manhattan. It wound up being the first of a trilogy called 'The Demon Cycle', which launched in Australia last year before going on to become a bestseller in Europe.
The Warded Man
The storyline features a futuristic alternate reality in which humans, living in a feudal society, battles demons on a nightly basis. To change this nightmarish landscape, three young heroes come forth, one of whom has spells (or "wards") tattooed on his body.
The filmmakers so believed in the potential of this mobile phone-penned work, they used their own money to buy the rights. "We think it has the potential to be a new 'Lord of the Rings'-style epic," Anderson says. "The book has all this great imagery."
Brett is currently revising the second novel of the trilogy, called 'The Desert Spear'. No word on whether he's using his BlackBerry for that, too.
[via Hollywood Reporter]
