Derrickson Takes on Hyperion

By Johnny Butane
January 30th, 2009

Once again I know this is just on the cusp of being horror, but fans of Dan Simmons’ Hyperion novels have been waiting a long time for someone to finally get an adaptation off the ground, so now that it’s finally happening it’s worth a mention.

Variety reports that The Day the Earth Stood Still and Exorcism of Emily Rose director Scott Derrickson will be directing Hyperion Cantos, a melding of the Simmons novels Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion, being written by Trevor Sands.

For those of you who haven’t read either book, I recommend you do, they’re very cool stories. The plot line follows a space war in the distant future that is threatening Hyperion, a planet where there are things called Time Tombs; artifacts that can move through space and time. A group of six pilgrims head to the Tombs to make a request of its terrible guardian, The Shrike.

How the hell they’re going to cram two books worth of horror and madness, because that’s really what the first two books are about, into one film is beyond me, but I have to admit I can’t wait to find out!


- Johnny Butane