Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy was one of the most maddening and mesmerizing thrillers of last year, and that was in no small part thanks to Javier Gullon’s ominous, opaque writing. And so, it’s exciting to see the screenwriter land more work – he’s just been tapped to adapt The Dark Side for Fox.
Producers Steve Zaillian and Garrett Basch are overseeing the adaptation of Anthony O’Neill’s futuristic novel, in which the moon has been turned into a penal colony, housing the worst of the worst. When an android goes on a brutal murder spree, a washed-up detective launches an investigation.
Fox acquired rights to O’Neill’s book last year, and it was published as an eBook in June. It sees the story as a potential franchise opportunity similar to iconic sci-fi Blade Runner and also (curiously) Avatar.
Gullon’s post-Enemy work includes a drama spec called 478, a prestige revenge drama that Arnold Schwarzenegger has come aboard to star in. It’s that screenplay that endeared the scribe to Hollywood execs and likely got his name in the mix for The Dark Side.
