WithArrivalnow a bonafide Oscar nominee, it’s been reconfirmed that science fiction is where the money is and, every once in awhile, where the prestige can be found. Of course, the fiscal glory that can be found in science fiction movies has been well-known since the 1960s. Heck, one could even argue that the trend started back withFritz Lang’s classicMetropolis. What Arrival has done is given a sharp reminder of how thoughtful movies about aliens and far-off planets can be when given to a good director, such asDenis Villeneuve. On the flip-side,Rogue Onehas reminded us how unimaginative and clunky science fiction can be when its made to fit a rote formula.
TheStar Warsbrand is making Everest-size mountains of money, so they don’t really have to give much of a care if the movies are good or not at this point, butShawn Levy’s 21 Laps, which backedArrival, can’t rest so easily. Thus they’ve been on the hunt for a new property and it seems like they found it this week. According toTHR, 21 Laps will be producingInconstant Moon, a science-fiction drama adapted fromLarry Niven’s Hugo and Nebula-crowned story of the same name; it also served as source material for a memorableOuter Limitsepisode. To helm the project, Levy and his company have tappedJames Ponsoldt, the hugely talented filmmaker behindSmashed,The Spectacular Now, andThe End of the Tour, who is now preparing for the release ofThe Circle, his anticipatedDave Eggersadaptation.
Considering the fact that Ponsoldt has focused mainly on earthly matters for his films thus far, one might think Ponsoldt’s an odd choice for the story, which focuses on a writer’s reaction to what may be the last night before an apocalyptic event signaled by changes to Earth’s moon. On the contrary, following the more imaginative conceit ofThe Circle, a full-blown science fiction movie may bring out bigger ambitions and more inventive visual ideas out of the filmmaker, even if the premise sounds more likeLast NightthanAvatar.
Here’s how Amazon describes Niven’s book:
A freelance technical writer notices that the moon is unusually bright. At first, he thinks it is some kind of atmospheric phenomenon, but soon he realizes he will be spending his last night alive. What should he do?
