Lionsgate in talks to snag Tal M. Klein’s sci-fi novel The Punch Escrow

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Winning a bid for movie rights can sometimes be a nasty business, and from what I've read about the battle to adapt Tal M. Klein's sci-fi novel THE PUNCH ESCROW, Lionsgate had to jump through more than a few fiery hoops to become top dog in the final negotiations for the property.  

Described as a love story at its core, THE PUNCH ESCROW is set in the year 2147, when teleportation has become the ideal and primary mode of travel. The world has changed in unfathomable way, meaning that, most diseases are curable, teleportation is the travel method of choice and mosquitoes have been genetically modified to feast on carbon fumes instead of blood, ending air pollution.

The story's lead character, Joel Byram, lives a normal life, while spending his days training artificial-intelligence engines to act more human — until the day he accidentally duplicates himself while teleporting. Now Joel is left with no choice but to outsmart and outrun the cryptic organization that controls teleportation, and discover a way to get back to the woman he loves in a world where now two of him exist. 

Obviously, seeing as the pen is still dangling above the dotted line for this deal, it will be some time until we hear anything further regarding the project's development. In the meantime, why not watch David Cronenberg's THE FLY to satisfy your teleportation itch?