Roger Avary Turns to AI for “Unadaptable” Biblical Epic ‘Paradise Lost’
A new writer-director is taking a stab at the Biblical epic Paradise Lost, which has been considered unadaptable for decades. […]
A new writer-director is taking a stab at the Biblical epic Paradise Lost, which has been considered unadaptable for decades.
Deadline reports that Oscar-winning Pulp Fiction co-writer and The Rules Of Attraction director Roger Avary is taking a stab at it, planning to use AI to overcome budgetary constraints that have held the adaptation back for years.
Tarantino collaborator Avary is the latest to tackle the influential and complex 1667 John Milton poem, which has long posed a challenge for creatives seeking to adapt its story of the fall of man.
The epic nature of the work, spanning war in heaven and the creation of the world, has defeated others before — including a high-profile Alex Proyas – Warner Bros version starring Bradley Cooper — but Avary and AI-oriented production company Ex Machina Studios believe AI can make the undertaking more manageable, says the site.
While the original poem isn’t strictly horror, it carries strong horror-adjacent elements. The story follows the fall of Satan and humanity, featuring nightmarish depictions of Hell, grotesque figures like Sin and Death, and themes of cosmic dread, corruption, and psychological torment. Depending on how the adaptation emphasizes these elements, it could easily appeal to horror audiences, particularly those drawn to dark fantasy and existential horror. I mean, I absolutely love The Devil’s Advocate, Angel Heart, Constantine, and Prophecy.
Ex Machina co-founder and CEO Marco Weber (Igby Goes Down) is producing Paradise Lost, with veteran production designer Kirk Petruccelli (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) executive-producing. K5 International is selling at the upcoming Cannes market.
The producers describe the project as “the ultimate faith-based heroic saga: a cosmic war in the heavens where the charismatic, rebellious archangel Lucifer defies God, is hurled into the abyss of Hell, and vows revenge on all creation. From the fiery lake of damnation, Lucifer rises as Satan to seduce humanity’s first parents, Adam and Eve, in the flawless Garden of Eden, triggering the Fall of Man and the loss of Paradise itself. At its core, asks the question every generation must answer: When faced with reckoning and crisis, do we obey, rebel, or redeem?”
