The graphic novel The Sculptor is being adapted by the director of Short Term 12, Destin Daniel Cretton. Currently, Cretton is working on the courtroom drama Just Mercy starring Brie Larson, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Foxx, but is already thinking to the future by choosing to adapt The Sculptor for the big screen as his next project.

Cretton only has a few feature films under his belt, but he has already asserted himself as one of the strongest directors working at the moment. Many know him for his strong 2013 indie hit, Short Term 12, which was where Cretton first began working with his frequent collaborator, Larson. The two worked together again on Cretton’s 2017 drama, The Glass Castle, which was an adaptation of Jeannette Walls’ book. Cretton will turn to adapting a written story for the screen yet again with Scott McCloud’s graphic novel The Sculptor.

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News of Cretton’s plans to adapt McCloud’s graphic novel comes via THR. The Sculptor follows the character of David Smith, a struggling artist in New York City who strikes a deal with Death that will give him the ability to sculpt anything he wants – but the price is he'll have less than a year to live. McCloud’s graphic novel was first published in 2015 and was met with wide acclaim.

The Sculptor Movie Adaptation

While Cretton typically works as a writer/director, this time he will be handing off the screenwriting responsibilities to Michael Mitnick, who is known for his work on The Giver and The Current War, and is currently writing the script for Idris Elba’s planned Netflix remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Shawn Levy and 21 Laps’ Dan Cohen are producing The Sculptor’s feature adaptation.

Details of Cretton’s new project is one more addition in a string of exciting announcements this week concerning upcoming films. Developments on Taylor Sheridan’s (Wind River, Sicario) next movie Fast, an action film with Chris Pratt in talks to star, were unveiled earlier this week. News of George Miller’s next project broke on Thursday as well, revealing that his next film will not be the sequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, but will instead be an original film titled Three Thousand Years of Longing. With news of all three of these projects moving forward involving such notable talents, the next year or two is shaping up to have an especially strong film line-up.

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Source: THR