Juan Antonio Bayona (‘Penny Dreadful‘, ’The Orphanage’) is a busy man right now first being set to direct ‘World War Z 2‘ and now he’s been put in charge of ‘A Monster Calls’. Talk about a hell of a couple of months of films for Bayona to be taking over! So while you’ve all probably heard about ‘World War Z 2‘ by now, you might be wondering what ‘A Monster Calls’ is about? Well parents out there might not be too surprised as it’s based on the award-winning fantasy novel by Patrick Ness.
In a day and age where bullying has been a hot topic, ‘A Monster Calls’ is about a boy who deals with his mother’s illness and bullying from his classmates by escaping into a dream world inhabited by monsters and more! Not only is it brilliantly illustrated but gives us a tinge of fantasy with a good message to boot as the fairy tales the child lives in deal with courage, loss, and faith.
Here’s a synopsis of the book:
At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting— he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd— whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself— Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.
Hollywood is betting big money on Bayona though it is for good reason. His last film was ‘The Impossible’ and it won Spain’s equivalent of the Academy Award, The Goya, and managed to gross more than $180 million at the worldwide box office. For being the second highest-grossing film of all time in Spain,m it seems like he would make for a good gamble if you ask me!
Bayona is happy to be working on the project as well. While not related to his other films in plot, it is in spirit as he explains:
“It is an incredible privilege to bring Patrick Ness’ exceptional book to the screen and I couldn’t have imagined better partners joining me in this endeavor. After ‘The Orphanage’ and ‘The Impossible,’ ‘A Monster Calls’ is the perfect final chapter in a trilogy centered on the extraordinary strength of the mother-child bond.”
Have you read the book and are curious to see it on the big screen? Share your thoughts below!
Source: ComingSoon
