You'd think with all of the blockbuster movies Ron Howard has tackled over the years that he would have done more sci-fi, but that hasn't been the case. The closest thing he's come to the genre would be Cocoon way back in 1985, or Apollo 13 if it wasn't, y'know, based on historical fact. But Howard is ready to jump in with both feet as Deadline reports he'll direct an adaptation of Neal Stephenson's acclaimed novel, Seveneves.
The popular author published the book just last year, and its premise is very cool. It takes place in the wake of an apocalypse triggered by the Moon's destruction. In an effort to save humanity, the people of the world prepare an ambitious plan, one that won't see fruition for 5,000 years after the Earth has been radically changed. Here's the book synopsis:
A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.
But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain . . .
Five thousand years later, their progeny—seven distinct races now three billion strong—embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown . . . to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.
Howard will be reteaming with producer Brian Grazer and screenwriter Bill Broyles, who he worked with on Apollo 13. So there's impressive credentials on this one, and Stephenson is an author with a dedicated base of followers who will be eager to see his work on the big screen. The book has sparked all kinds of fan-fiction, art, online communities, and more. Hopefully this one happens and doesn't fall into limbo like Joe Cornish's adaptation of Stephenson's book, Snow Crash. Nobody has heard anything on that one in years.
