Chaos Walking is a young adult science fiction series by novelist Patrick Ness. It is set in a dystopian world where all living creatures can hear each other’s thoughts in a stream of images, words, and sounds called Noise. An adaptation of the novels is currently in pre-production, in development by Lionsgate via Quadrant Pictures. This week we have had news that Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen is joining already confirmed stars Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland, to take the role of Mayor Prentiss, the villain of the story.
The screen play is been written by Patrick Ness together with Charlie Kaufman and John Lee Hancock. Doug Liman, responsible for titles like Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Jumper (2008) and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), is set to direct. The movie adaptation will be centered in Todd Hewitt, who has been brought up to believe that the Spackle released a germ that killed all the women and unleashed Noise on the remaining men. After discovering a patch of silence out in the swamp, his surrogate parents immediately tell him that he has to run, leaving him with only a map of New World, a message, and many unanswered questions. He soon discovers the source of the silence: a girl, named Viola. The two must hurry to warn an incoming ship of settlers as Mayor Prentiss prepares an army for war.
This is not the first time a novel by Patrick Ness has a big screen adaptation. Another of his texts was adapted recently by visionary filmmaker J.A. Bayona with A Monster Calls (2016), starring Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver and Felicity Jones. Probably, the success and good reviews of this previous film helped Lionsgate to bet for the production of Chaos Walking, which is expected to hit theatres worldwide in March 2019.
