In a world where The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is poised to surpass Iron Man 3 at the box office (at least domestically), YA is back in vogue. Despite a wee bit of hand-wringing in the trades only a few months ago, everyone wants to catch The Girl on Fire, and who better to launch another one of these potential franchises than Ridley Scott, the man who pushed female heroines before it was cool?!
As the director of films like Alien, Thelma and Louise, and Prometheus, Scott has shown interest in placing strong female leads in genre scenarios. Enter Fae, a new fantasy book series aimed at a young adult demographic by sibling authors Colet and Jasmine Abedi. The book, the first part in a trilogy (the second of which, The Dark King, has yet to be published) tells the story of Caroline Ellis, a 16-year-old girl who on her birthday must choose between the forces of Light and Dark Fae, just as her boyfriend Devilyn Reilly finds the dark within. Their battle, particularly Ellis’, shall decide the fate of humanity.
Deadline is reporting that Ridley Scott has optioned the screen rights for the film and will produce the movie alongside Giannina Facio. It is currently unclear whether Scott will direct the picture, but despite its teen focus, it is not inconceivable. After all, he once tried his hand at fantasy in the memorably stunning, if ponderous, Legend. That film too dealt with fairies, as well as goblins, unicorns, demons and an awesome performance from Tim Curry as Darkness. Scott has already revisited science fiction, so this could be right up his alley for giving another look.