Sam Raimi (‘Spider-Man’, ‘Spartacus’, ‘Legend of the Seeker’) and company have been trying to get the movie version of the 1951 novel ‘The Day of the Triffids’ made since 2010 and it looks like it’s one step closer to getting it done. Deadline is reporting that Neil Cross has been pegged to write the film adaptation for the big screen.

Cross is the writer/creator of the acclaimed BBC show ‘Luther’ starring Idris Elba (‘Prometheus’, ‘Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance’) which will soon be airing its third season in the UK. He’s worked extensively with Guillermo del Toro writing the horror film ‘Mama’ starring Jessica Chastain (‘The Tree of Life’, ‘The Help’) and the action flick ‘Midnight Delivery.’ Both films are being produced by del Toro. Cross was also enlisted by del Toro to “polish” his big budget monster vs. alien movie ‘Pacific Rim.’

‘The Day of the Triffids’ is based on the novel by John Wyndham of the same name.  It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world that is blinded by a meteor shower. Here’s the book description according to Amazon:

Bill Masen, bandages over his wounded eyes, misses the most spectacular meteorite shower England has ever seen. Removing his bandages the next morning, he finds masses of sightless people wandering the city. He soon meets Josella, another lucky person who has retained her sight, and together they leave the city, aware that the safe, familiar world they knew a mere twenty-four hours before is gone forever.

But to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, one must survive the Triffids, strange plants that years before began appearing all over the world. The Triffids can grow to over seven feet tall, pull their roots from the ground to walk, and kill a man with one quick lash of their poisonous stingers. With society in shambles, they are now poised to prey on humankind. Wyndham chillingly anticipates bio-warfare and mass destruction, fifty years before their realization, in this prescient account of Cold War paranoia.

A movie had already been made in 1961 from the book called ‘Invasion of the Triffids’ so Cross will actually be working on a remake. Mark Gordon, Michael Preger and Don Murphy from The Mark Gordon Company will be partnering with Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert from the Ghost House to produce the film while Nathan Kahane, Joe Drake and Susan Montford are set to executive produce.

Once the script is written, hopefully it won’t be too long before the film will get a director and production can begin!

Source: Deadline