According to Variety, author Peter V. Brett will adapt The Warded Man, the first installment of his New York Times bestselling Demon Cycle series, into a feature film. New Harlem Partnership has acquired the film rights, with Spike Seldin (The A-Team) and Hans Futterman producing; Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Death Race) had previously held the rights.
Brett shared the news on Twitter yesterday:
Did I mention the Warded Man was optioned for a movie? https://t.co/Jn1ZHKa3kU
— Peter V. Brett (@PVBrett) October 4, 2016
Originally published in 2009 by Del Rey, The Warded Man is a futuristic fantasy in which supernatural demons, or corelings, threaten to extinguish the human race, hiding behind magical wards whose art has been lost to time. The first book follows three young protagonists—Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer—whose lives have been shaped by demon-related violence, and the eponymous warded man who will be the key to everything. Here’s the official book synopsis:
As darkness falls after sunset, the corelings rise—demons who possess supernatural powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards—symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile. It was not always this way. Once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms, but those days are gone. Night by night the demons grow stronger, while human numbers dwindle under their relentless assault. Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past. Together, they will stand against the night.
Seldin, who is also the president of Atlas Comics, said in a press release, “This is a big action franchise with a deeply complex and darkly compelling hero at the center.” Futterman added, “Peter has created a fresh and new look at humanity’s future, and has very quickly established himself as one of the hottest new talents in the sci-fi/fantasy genre.”
New Harlem is currently meeting with potential financiers and distributors.
