Director Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Red Sparrow) has been tapped to direct New Republic‘s adaptation of graphic novel Stalag-X, per Deadline. The book, written by New York Times bestselling authors Kevin J. Anderson and Steven L. Sears, dares to ask what it truly means to be human. British screenwriter Joy Wilkinson (Doctor Who, The Watch) will adapt the source material for the big screen.
New Republic‘s Founder Brian Oliver and President Bradley Fischer will produce the film for the studio. The basic plot of Stalag-X, which is material primed for a film adaptation, is as follows:
“Stalag-X tells the story of a reclusive human soldier imprisoned in an alien POW camp on a harsh distant planet in the midst of a decade-long interstellar conflict. Believing that his mind holds the key to turning the tide in the war, the alien Krael force him to endure mind-bending experiments that rip into the deepest recesses of his traumatic memories, which they hope will yield an answer to the question: what is human?”
This kind of story will undoubtedly translate to the big screen, especially in the wake of science fiction epics like Apple TV+‘s Foundation and Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune. It’s also not such a stretch given that Anderson has worked in the Dune universe, having written sequels Dune: House Atreides and Dune: The Machine Crusade. He also worked as a creative consultant to Villeneuve‘s Dune film and is a co-producer on the upcoming series Dune: The Sisterhood. A property like Stalag-X is sure to give New Republic a project ripe with franchise potential.
Lawrence himself has a strong connection to Stalag-X, stating the following when asked his thoughts about the property:
“When I first read Stalag-X, I was immediately drawn to the rich, unique world that Kevin and Steven created. I’m thrilled to be collaborating with Joy to bring their graphic novel to life on screen alongside Brian and Brad, who, as champions of bold storytelling, are the perfect partners for this.”
New Republic and Lawrence have partnered before, with their collaboration Slumberland, starring Jason Momoa, set for release on Netflix later this year. The director has also worked extensively with Jennifer Lawrence, having overseen the final three Hunger Games films and 2018’s Red Sparrow. Stalag-X sounds like a project right in his wheelhouse, as he’s also adapted sci-fi and genre fare with I Am Legend and Constantine.
There is currently no release date set for Stalag-X.
via Collider