S. Craig Zahler is currently have a pretty exceptional moment. His gritty horror/western “Bone Tomahawk” put him on the map, and it has seen a number of projects now set in motion for the writer/director. Later this year he’ll shoot “Brawl In Cell Block 99” starring Vince Vaughn, he’s writing a script for the horror reboot “Puppet Master: The Little Reich,” and now Ridley Scott is going to direct one of his novels.
That’s right, even though he’s in the midst of production on “Alien: Covenent,” Scott has signed up to helm “Wraiths Of The Broken Land,” based on the book by Zahler. Drew Goddard, who adapted “The Martian,” will pen the screenplay that follows a team of men who ride into danger to rescue their sisters who have been forced into prostitution. Here’s the book synopsis:
A brutal and unflinching tale that takes many of its cues from both cinema and pulp horror, Wraiths of the Broken Land is like no Western you’ve ever seen or read. Desperate to reclaim two kidnapped sisters who were forced into prostitution, the Plugfords storm across the badlands and blast their way through Hell. This gritty, character-driven piece will have you by the throat from the very first page and drag you across sharp rocks for its unrelenting duration. Prepare yourself for a savage Western experience that combines elements of Horror, Noir and Asian ultra-violence. You’ve been warned.
That sounds pretty damn great, but don’t get too excited. Scott is always signed up for something, plus he still wants to make those multiple “Prometheus” sequels, so who knows if this will ever happen. That said, he’s been attaching himself to various westerns for years, and maybe this’ll be the one that finally gets made.