Cormac McCarthy is Writing John Hillcoat's Film Adaptation of the Brutal Western BLOOD MERIDIAN
John Hillcoat (The Road, Lawless, Triple 9) is set to adapt Cormac McCarthy‘s crazy and brutal western Blood Meridian. The filmmaker recently revealed that McCarthy is also now writing the script. The two previously collaborated on the film adaptation of The Road.
Blood Meridian is considered by many to be one of the greatest American novels ever written, and the story is about the human scalping trade in the Southwest 1850s. It’s been a very hard film project for filmmakers to get off the ground over the years, but Hillcoat managed to make it happen.
When talking about how Hillcoat managed to get the project rolling forward, the filmmaker said: “[Cormac McCarthy] has become a dear, dear close friend. And over the years we discussed how he had lost control of Blood Meridian, and it was a mutual task to get it back because he knew how to crack it. A lot of people have tried without his input.”
Hillcoat also shared that a project that told this kind of story needed time to gestate in its transition from novel to screenplay. He added: “It has really been having the space to discuss it over a decade or more. Actually, I think it’s fifteen years we’ve been discussing it. That allowed it to come forth, and I wouldn’t let go.”
He went on to say of McCarthy: “A book is a book, and a film is a film. He understands they’re two different mediums, but the best you can do is capture the spirit of each. He started an adaptation himself. We talked about how to crack it, really, because it is a very ambitious book to crack, as you can imagine.”
The story is set in the mid-19th century along the Texas-Mexico border, it follows the harrowing journey of a young runaway known as "the Kid" who joins a ruthless gang of scalp hunters led by the sadistic Judge Holden.
The story unfolds against the backdrop of the Glanton gang's merciless quest for scalps and wealth, as they rampage through the unforgiving landscapes of the American Southwest. The gang is hired by the Mexican government to exterminate Native Americans, but their bloodlust and greed soon transcend their initial mission.
The story explores themes of violence, the nature of evil, and the thin line between civilization and savagery. The novel is characterized by its stark prose and visceral descriptions, depicting the gruesome realities of war and human cruelty. McCarthy's vivid and haunting imagery captures the raw and gritty essence of the American frontier, while delving into the darker aspects of human nature.
Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Tommy Lee Jones, Todd Field, Michael Haneke, and James Franco are a few of the filmmakers that have been attached to the project over the years, but I think Hillcoat and McCarthy is the perfect creative team to make this happen.
Source: Deadline