John Ridley (American Crime) is set to write and direct a new time-travel movie, Needle In A Timestack. Time-travel is a hugely popular genre right now, with multiple TV shows and films centering on different ways of wandering through time. On the small screen, shows like Legends of Tomorrow, Timeless, and of course, Doctor Who are doing well (although with so much time-jumping competition, other series aren’t making the grade, like the already-cancelled Time After Time). On the big screen, too, this is a subject returned to time and time again - recent films include Project Almanac, Edge of Tomorrow, Predestination, and rom-coms like The Time Traveler’s Wife and About Time.
Now, another time-travel film is in the works at Miramax, Needle In A Timestack, based on the short story of the same name by Robert Silverberg. The film is going to be about a husband whose marriage is destroyed by a time-travelling rival, and who will do whatever it takes to get his wife back.
The project is now moving forward at Miramax, with John Ridley tapped to write and direct. According to a new report from Variety, the Academy Award-winning writer, producer and director is set to head up the adaptation, which is being executive produced by Vince Gerardis (Game of Thrones) and Matt Kennedy. Zanne Devine and David Thwaites are overseeing the project.
Ridley is well-known for his work on 12 Years A Slave, and is currently producer, writer and director for both Guerrilla and American Crime. Ridley is also still working on his long-gestating Marvel television series, although there is no news about when that project might be moving forward. It’s possible that with a big movie on the horizon for the director, his Marvel series may end up being pushed back.
Ridley is a fantastic choice for this story, set in a future where time-travel is available to everyone, and where that causes its fair share of problems. This sci-fi story has a lot of potential to be the kind of darker drama that Ridley is so phenomenal at creating, and will certainly be an interesting new approach for the genre.
However, Ridley is not yet officially confirmed as director, so there is a slim chance that this deal will fall through. There is also no news about exactly how this short story will be adapted for the big screen - and as with all literary adaptations, that could mean anything from a near-identical re-telling to a totally new story inspired by the original.
Next: John Ridley’s Secret Marvel Project Still a Possibility
Needle In A Timestack does not yet have a release date.
Source: Variety
