Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Blood Meridian’ to get film adaptation
Author Cormac McCarthy is often credited as being one of the great American novelists. His books have sold millions of copies, with three of them becoming movies later down the line. However, arguably McCarthy’s most successful book of all time, Blood Meridian, has yet to become a movie.
The book is infamous for not being able to be turned into a movie. However, it seems like another crack is being taken at such an endeavor; production company New Regency recently announced that a Blood Meridian movie is in the works, with McCarthy on board as an executive producer.
The Struggle to Adapt:
While other McCarthy books like No Country For Old Men, and The Road have been developed into films, the former having gone on to win several Oscars, Blood Meridian has become infamous within Hollywood for being seemingly unadaptable. Some have pointed to the novel’s extreme violence and themes for this reason, while others see it as simply bad luck.
But with McCarthy tied into the production and director John Hillcoat to lead the project, things might just be lining up in Blood Meridian’s favor. But it’s still far too early to call this a true success or not.
A Very Bloody Tale:
Blood Meridian is often described as one of the great American novels, up there with titles like Moby Dick and The Great Gatsby. It’s a story about the wild west, colonialism, and the relationship between Americans, Mexicans and Native Americans — it’s extremely violent, which has contributed to the movie’s past film-adaptation failures.
McCarthy, however, believes that despite said violence in Blood Meridian could be adapted well.
“(It would be) very difficult to do and would require someone with a bountiful imagination and a lot of balls,” McCarthy told the Wall Street Journal in 2009. “But the payoff could be extraordinary.”
Perhaps now is the time to finally see that payoff. A lot has changed between now and 2009, with films like Django Unchained proving that not only is ultra-violence possible but enjoyed by audiences. Perhaps now is the time for Blood Meridian.
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