Hunger Games And I Am Legend Director To Take On Philip K. Dick Adaptation Vulcan's Hammer
Few people have left an imprint on popular culture as sizable as science fiction author Philip K. Dick. Dick's classic 1968 novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" was turned into one of the most influential science fiction movies of all time, 1982's "Blade Runner." Though the film was released in the same year as Dick's death at the age of 53, the author's presence can be felt throughout the entire world of the film, including in Denis Villeneuve's 2017 "Blade Runner" sequel, "Blade Runner: 2049." Dick's short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" also served as the inspiration for the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger-led film "Total Recall," as well as its 2012 remake with Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, and Jessica Biel.
However, Dick's influences have not been confined to the four corners of your nearest theater. A number of his works have also made their way to television. In fact, Dick's 1956 novella "The Minority Report" has been adapted to suit both film and television formats. Tom Cruise starred in a 2002 adaptation, while actress Meagan Good led a short-lived attempt at a television series based on the same premise in 2015 (via IMDb). Amazon Prime Video's "The Man in the High Castle" was one of the streaming service's first successful original series and was based on another novel by Dick, an alternate history first published in 1962. The streaming platform also released an anthology series in 2018 called "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams," which loosely adapts a number of Dick's short stories, and explores sci-fi concepts that were often at issue in the author's body of work.
Today, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that yet another of Philip K. Dick's works will be adapted for the screen, and a talented director is already attached to the project.
Vulcan's Hammer is next
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Hunger Games" director Francis Lawrence is set to helm a film adaptation of Philip K. Dick's 1960 novel "Vulcan's Hammer." Like many of Dick's works, the novel is fairly high concept in plot, telling a story set in 2029, after a devastating world war. Following the war's massive loss of life, the people of Earth decide to allow an artificial intelligence to determine all of their choices for the future. The decision to cede all of life's decision-making responsibilities is opposed by a group called the Healers. The protagonist of the story is William Barrios, a man who begins the novel unsure of what side he is on. All manner of sci-fi chaos ensues as Barrios struggles to make a decision.
The Hollywood Reporter further states that Lawrence will also produce the film, alongside New Republic Pictures producers Brian Oliver and Bradley Fischer. Isa Dick Hackett and Cameron MacConomy will also work as producers on the project.
Even outside of his three films in the "Hunger Games" universe, this latest project will not be Lawrence's first steps into the world of adapting novels. He previously directed Will Smith in the 2007 apocalyptic thriller "I Am Legend," a film based on a 1954 Richard Matheson novel of the same name, and worked with Keanu Reeves on 2005's "Constantine" (via IMDb).