You see the folks over at io9 recently caught up with scribe Simon Beaufoy to talk about the project, which he penned for Boyle. The project is based on Toby Barlow’s novel SHARP TEETH, which actually happens to be a novel-length poem. I’ll go ahead and let Mr. Beaufoy explain this one:
“…It’s gangland LA. Except the gangs happen to also shapeshift into dogs. It’s all about the pack dynamics — it’s very mad, but really fabulous. So poetry wasn’t even safe from the adaptation process.”
“Well I know, they’re kind of dogs, more than werewolves.”
“We have to make life much more difficult for ourselves and use real dogs. That would be the best, because that would be truly terrifying. I think animation would allow too much distance from it.”
“….These dogs eat people….”
Sounds good to me! Now it seems Danny Boyle hasn’t exactly gotten behind the project just yet but here’s hoping! Here’s the actual rundown for SHARP TEETH:
An ancient race of lycanthropes survives in modern LA and its numbers are growing as packs convert the city’s downtrodden into their fold. Stuck in the middle are a local dogcatcher and the woman he loves, whose secret past haunts her as she fights a bloody one-woman battle to save their relationship. Meanwhile, dog packs fight and scheme all around the them, hiding out in old warehouses, city kennel cages, or the plush comfort of suburban homes. Paying no heed to the moon, these packs change from human to wolf at will, squaring off against one another as they seek dominance at any cost. “Sharp Teeth” is a novel-in-verse that blends epic themes with dark humour, dogs playing cards, crystal meth labs, and acts of heartache and betrayal in Southern California.
Apparently Beaufoy is also hard at work on the upcoming sequel to THE HUNGER GAMES – CATCHING FIRE. Here’s what the writer said about that one:
“Oooh… that’s more difficult, because one has to be very loyal to a fan base that is rigorous beyond anything I’ve ever come across. And yet, you still have to do the kind of brutal process of turning it into a film. Just transposing the book wholesale onto the screen, isn’t doing nobody any favors I don’t think. I always think faithful adaptations are a real mistake. That’s not reinventing what’s wonderful about the book onto the screen. That’s just a slightly scared way going, “We’ll keep it the same and it will be fine!” And it actually won’t because it’s the brother or the sister of a book, it’s not its twin, it’s different.”
So there you have it folks! A nice double-update from Simon Beaufoy – and everything is sounding good to me! To check out the whole interview head right over HERE. As always we’ll keep our eyes and ears open for more news on both SHARP TEETH and CATCHING FIRE so be sure to check back for more on both projects as we hear it.