Denis Villeneuve put himself on the map as “one to watch” with his most recent thriller, PRISONERS. Now the director is off to sci-fi for his second English language flick.
Villeneuve has boarded STORY OF YOUR LIFE, a film adapted from Ted Chiang’s Nebula Award winning novella. Eric Heisserer (HOURS) wrote the screenplay which goes something like this:
The story is set in motion when alien crafts land around the world and an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat. As she learns to communicate with the aliens, she begins experiencing vivid flashbacks that become the key to unlocking the greater mystery about the true purpose of their visit.
At one point Shawn Levy was attached to adapt but dropped out. The film will shoot later this year.
Personally, I felt that PRISONERS should have gotten more attention. It was a wonderfully directed thriller, and a great breakout for Villeneuve in American cinema. I look forward to seeing what he does with this story.