Mike Flanagan, one of the brightest names in horror, has signed on for another intriguing project. He will direct an adaptation of Christopher Pike‘s 1993 novel The Season Of Passage for Universal, who reportedly won the rights to the project in a competitive bidding situation. Flanagan will also co-write the screenplay alongside his brother James Flanagan.
The novel revolves around celebrity doctor Lauren Wagner, who becomes involved in a manned expedition to Mars. While the whole world admires and respects her, Lauren knows fear. She has voices inside her head encouraging her to give herself over to them, while there’s also an ongoing mystery of the missing group that had attempted to go to Mars before her.
But is the group truly dead? And what is the actual reasoning behind this new Mars expedition?
This sounds perfect for Flanagan, whose work is currently must-watch for any horror fans. He previously helmed The Haunting Of Hill House and its sequel for Netflix, and has previously directed films such as Hush, Oculus, and two Stephen King adaptations in the form of Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game.
This is not the first project to include Flanagan, Pike, and Intrepid Pictures, who pitched the idea around town before Universal snapped it up. Flanagan is currently working with the studio on The Midnight Club, a series based on Pike’s novel and other works of his. That project is in development at Netflix.
While The Season Of Passage is certainly a horror project, it’s also Flanagan’s first dabble into the sci-fi realm. It will be fascinating to see what he can do with the scope of an expedition to Mars when most of his work, outside of Doctor Sleep, usually takes place mostly in and around one location.
#Peace.Love.TheSeasonOfPassage
