Matt Reeves’ next directorial effort will be The Batman….we think. We’ve heard so little about it lately, and frankly still have no idea who will star in it, that who knows what will become of it. Seriously, would anybody be shocked if it quietly went away? Fortunately, Reeves isn’t sitting around and is busy lining up other films to take part in, and he’s just scored a seriously hot sci-fi property that will be going to Netflix.
Reeves recently joined Netflix for a first look multi-picture deal, and the first film to emerge out of that is Life Sentence, based on the sci-fi short story by Matthew Baker. A fierce bidding war took place for the rights to this one, with Apple, Amazon, Warner Bros., Fox2000, and others taking their best shots. Some thought it would be best adapted into a TV series, but Baker wanted to see his vision come to life as a movie so he went with Netflix in the final round of bidding. This will be the third short story Baker has seen Hollywood jump at producing. His first, 2016’s Transition, has Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) producing and Joe Epstein scripting for Amazon Studios. His second, The Appearance, is also in the works.
Life Sentence is “about a futuristic program where the memories of criminals are erased, instead of sending them to prison. The story focuses on one such man, who finds himself trying to reconcile his past actions and relationships.” Sounds a lot like Total Recall, nothing wrong with that.
It’s too early to know who will adapt and direct the film, but you can bet Reeves will be intimately involved. He may even decide to direct it himself if it can fit between The Batman and a potential fourth Planet of the Apes movie. [Deadline]
