New LOGAN’S RUN Attempt Pulls In Kinberg
Simon Kinberg (Fantastic Four, Star Wars, X-Men: Apocalypse, Deadpool) has been attached to write and produce the latest attempt to reboot Logan’s Run.
Based on the 1967 novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, the only adaptation that can be considered a success is the cult classic movie version made in 1976. Since then, and especially lately, Warner Bros. has been interested in producing a new version. Kinberg has been brought in to write the story treatment and co-produce with Joel Silver, who’s known for high-octane fare like Die Hard, V for Vendetta, Speed Racer, and the Lethal Weapon and Matrix franchises, among other projects.
Once the story treatment is done, Warners will hire a screenwriter to handle the script itself.
The story — dystopian before dystopian was cool — features a society in which people of a certain age are executed as a way to manage scarce resources and productivity in society. Those who escape their fates are called “Runners”. Logan 3, one of the executioners (called Sandmen), becomes a Runner himself when he infiltrates the “underground railroad” for Runners in an attempt to find their hidden Sanctuary. As the story progresses, he becomes more sympathetic to their cause, although he spends a good deal of the novel as an antihero.
Warner Bros. has been attempting a remake since the 1990s, and a number of notable names have been attached. Bryan Singer was going to direct until he took a vacation in the days prior to shooting the sequel to Superman Returns — which never materialized. Christopher McQuarrie was attached to write a draft of the script at one point. Joseph Kosinski was later brought on board as a director, but moved on to direct TRON: Legacy instead. Nicolas Winding Refn was also attached at one point in the development, with Ryan Goslin and Rose Byrne set to star.
The 1976 film starred Micheal York as Logan, and spawned a 1977 television series with Gregory Harrison in the lead role. D.C. Fontana and a number of former Star Trek staffers worked on the show, which lasted fourteen episodes.
